Paatal Lok Season 2 webseries review: Jaideep Ahlawat returns with fierce energy

Cast: Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Ishwak Singh
Creators: Sudip Sharma
Where: Amazon Prime
Rating: 4/5

Sub inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) of Jamna-paar police station has become more confident in life after the adventures of the first season. He finds himself entangled in a political murder that takes place in Delhi with its roots in Nagaland. 

He, along with IPS Iqbal Ansari ( Ishwak Singh), goes into the interiors of North East India to find out a complex society striving for power by any means. So many factions, so much greed and so bizarre situations. They meet Barua (Tillottama Shome) as the local police authority and begin a chase that's forcing them to move in circles. At least, this is what happens in the first four episodes I watched after the show started streaming  on Thursday night.

The canvas is bigger and the writing shows hard work. Filmmakers such as Nagesh Kukunoor and Jahnu Barua have been cast in important roles. Their understanding of the milieu brings much needed depth into a narrative that's desperate to rise above the usual thriller.

Hathi Ram still has a fare share of struggles, both on domestic ad personal front, but he is now brave enough to convey his feelings without losing it every now and then. Jaideep has achieved a certain kind of physicality which makes him immensely believable. His grit, benevolence and coming to terms with his reality, have a profound impact on the audience. It's not difficult to root for him from the word go. He is effortless, effective and humane. He is much more nuanced than the previous season.

Paatal Lok Season 2 has a nice tempo which absorbs the viewers. You witness the makers' tremendous efforts to get inside uncharted territories. 

I have rated Paatal Lok Season two 4 out of 5 after initial four episodes in the hope it sustains the momentum.

READ | Black Warrant review: Zahan Kapoor shines in Vikramaditya Motwane's Netflix jail drama