Paatal Lok - Review
Paatal Lok is an extremely good show. Is it great? No. But that doesn't derive the series of it's quality.
Hathiram Chaudhary (played perfectly by Jaideep Ahlawat) is a cop who is assigned to a case that he had been waiting for a long time. He gets to do something he had been wanting to, and that's great because it's because of this reason that Chaudhary is an active protagonist.
Hathiram has an external want, to solve the case. But his internal want is to not be respected by his wife and son. This is why we care about him. This is why, despite Hathiram's brutal actions at times, we still root for him to solve the case, because we know what's at stake.
Now since this show's a murder thriller, it has to be plot heavy. And to me, these are the weakest bits of the series. Seeing the cops or rich businessmen talking about the plot, was the least interesting parts for me. I know it's necessary, otherwise the series would make no sense. But I wished it was more emotionally engaging than it was.
The actors were perfectly cast. Jaideep is the star of the show. He big, powerful and menacing. But also manages to be hilarious in the way he beats up people and constantly swears. It was very reminiscent of Gangs of Wasseypur, and that was a pleasant memory to revisit. Neeraj Kabi is the 2nd star of the series. His performance manages to be serious and collected, as well as an egotistical person. Seeing him was an absolute treat.
The cinematography and production design was just magnificent that made the locations in the series feel real, gritty and ugly, but still has a sense of beauty about it.
I was first doubtful, then appreciative of the flashback narrations of the arrested killers. Because it's used to make us realise the reason of their actions. One was bullied by high caste boys, until of course, he slaughtered them with a nunchuck knife. But his family had to pay the price, while he ran off.
Meanwhile Hathoda Tyagi (played hauntingly by Abhishek Banerjee) is shown to us as a monster, because in his flashback, the first thing he does is bloodily slaughter three school boys with a hammer! But then we learn that he has a love for dogs, which adds some humanity to him.
Themes such as fake news, extent of journalism are explored. But to me, the most impactful theme is the one that explores the dark side of humanity. The gory violence is not for the sake of it, but to purposely make us disgusted about the true situation of the country, and it's lawless citizens.
I also love how dogs are present throughout the series, and it's real importance is brought back in the final episode. The real reason Tyagi canceled the assassination. A human reason. Dogs are a symbolic representation of a person's innate goodness.
I wish the series gave us more scenes between Hathiram and his son, and their conflict amongst themselves because the family drama was something I was more interested in. But whatever we got was great. Hathiram was abused by his father at a young age, and over the episodes, he also grows to beat his son for his misdeeds. But in the end, he becomes more calm, and him and his son share a heartwarming smile. He puts an end to the cycle of generational violence.
Overall this is a really good show that manages to make you laugh, as well as gasp in awe of it's hellish violence. The plot is the least engaging aspect of it, but the characters and performances hooks you in.
I recommend you watch this 9 episode series immediately.
Thank Your for Reading
I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.
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