Jaideep Ahlawat is the man of the hour. The audience is ecstatic after seeing his commendable performance as a Delhi cop Hathi Ram Chaudhary in Paatal Lok.
The actor has earned accolades for his performance. Apart from this gripping and riveting series. Jaideep was part of films like Gangs of Wasseypur and Raazi, after striving hard for over the years the actor has finally got his due with Paatal Lok. The Anushka Sharma production also stars Abhishek Banerjee, Neeraj Kabi, Ishwak Singh, Swastika Mukherjee and Gul Panag among others.
In an exclusive conversation with Jaideep Ahlawat, the actor spoke at length about the success of Paatal Lok, producer Anushka Sharma's contribution in looking at the nuances of the script, and lastly, what makes the series stand out from the series we have been seeing on OTT.
Excerpts from the interview
Your role has been widely appreciated in Paatal Lok and the response has been tremendous, did you expect this?
Inspector Hathiram Choudhary is vulnerable, layered, and a very relatable character. I think we have all come across someone like him, at some point in time in our lives. His mission to prove himself and to better himself; but as he is guided by his own set principles, it has made him vulnerable. In many ways, he is like a common man. In a society where urban decay, lack of morality and sleaze is rampant, my character is burdened with the responsibility of trying to navigate the pitfalls of being someone who's upright, stoic yet vulnerable at times in an attempt to be morally conscious; he also has the added pressure of balancing family and work life.
With a pool of crime thrillers on webspace, how does Patal Lok stand apart?
As it is evident in the trailer, the characters are much more intense. The show symbolically takes a dive into how society is portrayed. All of the characters, through the course of the show, arrive at a crossroads because of their unique situation, even though they each belong to a different social category. The story of each character has been weaved very intricately. They all deal with their own internal and external conflicts, as well as their separate journeys. How Hathiram's character interacts with the other characters is also important to note. The writing is quite remarkable, considering most shows on OTT platforms seem to fall flat because the time and length that some filmmakers are given do not translate the stories well, it is either too long or short, but Paatal Lok does not face such a problem.
Was Anushka Sharma creatively part of the show considering this was her digital debut as a producer?
Anushka Sharma is quite remarkable as a producer. She is really involved in perfecting the script including the minutest of the detail. She has a really creative mind and is really innovative. She was not present at the set at all times but we had various phone calls with her where she communicated about the precise creative nuances of the script. She focuses a lot on the artistic aspect of the show and the script.
Do you think after watching paatal look audiences will demarcate between positive and negative?
I think that slowly and steadily, the slight demarcation between positive and negative is fading. Ideally in real life, a common man can be positive at some point and can be negative at others. When you go towards realism, there's no good or bad. It's just a matter of perspective. Paatal Lok depicts just that. To properly understand and attain knowledge about the distinction between each Lok's you will have to watch the show.
