Yesterday, Amazon Prime Videos India, released a
teaser trailer, announcing the title and release date of its upcoming
crime-drama web series, PaatalLok. The teaser left me in a sort of dilemma, of
whether to expect something fresh and exciting from the show or if it will be
all just violence and mythical-stupidity. Let’s breakdown all we know about the
show, and see if we could form an opinion about it.
 |
| Source: Youtube |
Here is a link to the Title Announcement teaser of the series:
The Cast
The series has a star cast of some very talented
actors and actresses. The show stars Neeraj Kabi who is a celebrated
Indian film and theatre actor, a common face in several Bollywood movies, best
known for his acting in films like Talvar(2015) and Ship of Theseus(2012).
 |
| Source: Indianexpress.com |
Then the show has Gul Panag whom you might
remember from The Family Man that aired last year. Panag, in an interview a few
months back, when asked about her upcoming projects, without giving away any
crucial hints to the plot of the show, said that her character is one which she
appreciates playing.
 |
| Source: shethepeople.tv |
The series also stars Jaideep Ahlawat who has
given some really appreciable performances in Raazi(2018) and Gangs of
Wasseypur(2012).
These are the only cast members that the show
confirms in the description of its teaser.
Apart from that, if you check the IMDB page of the
show, you will a long long list of actors involved in the series.
Several of these actors can also be spotted in a
video clip that Prime released about 3-4 months back where they announced their
upcoming shows. That video was the first official mention of the title:
PaatalLok and also provides us with the only piece of footage we have for the
series. Check it out:
 |
| Source: Youtube |
Here you can also spot Abhishek Banerjee who is also in the IMDB cast list and whom you might remember for his hilarious performance
in Stree or his insane portrayal of the ‘Compounder’ from Mirzapur.
 |
| Source: Youtube |
The Production
The film is produced by Clean Slate Films, which
is a production and distribution company established by Anushka Sharma. And the
production house has seemed to produce only three films, all of which casted, yes
you guessed it- Anushka Sharma. It has produced NH-10(2015), Phillauri(2017), and Pari(2018) all of which although haven’t done well at the box-office but have been appreciated for the unique world-view of the makers which they couldn’t execute satisfactorily.
 |
| Source: Economictimes.com |
The production house is at its infancy and
hasn’t yet produced a film which could either be a commercial or a critical
success, then what serves the credibility of this series?
The Maker
The series hasn’t revealed it’s director yet but
the writer behind the story is Sudip Sharma who has earlier been the essayist and
screenplay writer behind films like Sonchiriya(2019), Udta Panjab(2016), and
NH-10(2015).
 |
| Source: Youtube |
Sonchiriya and Udta Panjab have given a new tonality to the Bollywood scenario. These are the films that are pushing the boundaries of the so-called “art -cinema” and are allowing it to blend with the mainstream films. Sudip has come-up with a fresh and unique premise for the show, what remains to be seen is whether the story and the directors will be able to deliver justice to the story and provide the audience with something they love as much as they do to Mirzapur.
Speculation
I believe the show will be somewhat similar in
tone to Sacred Games. Something that links the mythical world to the politics
in our country in some mind-boggling fashion. Probably a criminal, who believes
himself to be a man from-the-hell, who has taken upon himself the task to
spread the evil of some sort. The show will for sure be a satire on the kind of society we are, and maybe a reflection of what we will end up becoming. I’ve no idea.
 |
| Source: Netflix.com |
But the good news is, we don’t have to wait for long. The show will be out on May 15th. I hope the show makes a unique place for itself and doesn’t fall into the category of a ‘Sacred Games-type’ show like Asur that came out this year did.
Do tell me if you are excited about the show.
Also, tell what story you anticipate from the series by leaving a comment down
below.
-HJ
 |
| Source: Youtube |
A week back, Prime also released a motion poster, where they hinted at the title but gave no concrete confirmations. Here is a link to that:
New Show Announcement | New Amazon Original Series Coming Soon | Amazon Prime Video
A link to the IMDB page of the series:
Paatal lok (TV Series 2020– )
Comments
Post a Comment