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Paatal Lok 2020
Paatal Lok is an Indian neo-noir crime thriller series that aired on Amazon Prime Video. The show was developed by Sudip Sharma, who co-wrote the script with Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, and Gunjit Chopra, while also directing it alongside Prosit Roy. Produced under Clean Slate Filmz, the series features Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Richa Chaturvedi in leading roles. The storyline draws inspiration from Tarun Tejpal's 2010 novel The Story of My Assassins, focusing on a disheartened detective assigned to a failed assassination case in the first season.
Ahlawat, Singh, and Panag returned for the second season, which is set against the backdrop of political unrest in Nagaland. Additional actors included Tillotama Shome, Jahnu Barua, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Prashant Tamang. Sudip Sharma was responsible for scripting during January 2017, spending over a year on writing and preparation. Filming took place at more than 110 actual locations, with Paatal Lok marking the first television series shot in Chitrakoot.
Cinematography was done by Avinash Arun and Saurabh Goswami, with editing handled by Sanyukta Kaza. The soundtrack was composed jointly by Naren Chandravarkar and Benedict Taylor. The initial season premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 15 May 2020. Critics acclaimed the series for its acting, plot, writing, and direction. It ranked among the Top 10 Indian Web Series of 2020 according to The Indian Express and was recognized by Variety as one of the best international shows of that year. In May 2020, it was announced that a second season would be developed. That season released on 17 January 2025.
At the inaugural Filmfare OTT Awards, Paatal Lok received eight nominations and won five — including Best Actor (Jaideep Ahlawat), Best Series, Best Original Story, Best Screenplay, and Best Direction (Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy).
Cast
- Jaideep AhlawatInspector Hathiram Chaudhary
- Gul PanagRenu Chaudhary
- Ishwak SinghImran Ansari
- Neeraj KabiSanjeev Mehra
- Richa ChaturvediMedia House receptionist
- Swastika MukherjeeDolly Mehra
- Niharika Lyra DuttSara Matthews
- Abhishek BanerjeeVishal "Hathoda" Tyagi
- Jagjeet SandhuTope Singh
- Aasif KhanKabir M
- Mairembam Ronaldo SinghMary Lyngdoh
- Vipin SharmaDCP Bhagat
- Anurag AroraSHO Virk
- Akash KhuranaSingh Saab
- Manish ChaudhariVikram Kapoor
- Sandeep MahajanDelhi Intelligence officer Dahiya
- Rajesh SharmaGwala Gujjar
- Bodhisattva SharmaSiddharth Chaudhary
- Anup JalotaBalkishan Bajpayee
- Anindita BoseChanda Mukherjee
- Asif BasraJai Malik
- V K SharmaOld Sadhu
- Tushar DuttRaju Bhaiyya
- Azzy BagriaConstable
- Amit Rajjournalist
- Manju BahugunaHathoda Tyagi's mother
- Ajay RajuChaiwala
- Suvinder VickyBalbir Singh Sekhon
- Jahnu BaruaRangthong Ken
- Nagesh KukunoorKapil Reddy
- Merenla ImsongRose Lizo
- Tillotama ShomeSP Meghna Barua
- Rokibul HossainGuddu
- Prashant TamangDaniel Acho
- Prateek PachauriBittu Rahman
- Nikhil AngrishJr. Bajoria
- Bendang WallingIssac
- LC SekhoseReuben Thom
- Pali SandhuSatbir Brar
- Shubro BhattacharyaPraveen Sinha
Crew
- Director
- Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
- Creator
- Sudip Sharma
- Writer
- Sudip Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, Gunjit Chopra, Tamal Sen, Abhishek Banerjee, Rahul Kanojia
- Producer
- Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Ssharma
- Cinematography
- Avinash Arun, Saurabh Goswami
- Music
- Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor
Details
- Production
- Clean Slate Filmz
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video