Paatal Lok Trailer Sets Up Anushka Sharma’s First Series Production

The Paatal Lok trailer is here. Amazon Prime Video has unveiled a three-minute look at its next original series from India, with Anushka Sharma as one of its executive producers. The Paatal Lok trailer introduces its central plot, which involves Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) looking into four criminals — serial killer Vishal “Hathoda” Tyagi (Abhishek Banerjee), Tope “Chaaku” Singh (Jagjeet Sandhu), Kabir M. (Aasif Khan), and Mary “Cheeni” Lyngdoh (Mairembam Ronaldo Singh) — behind a failed assassination attempt, whose target might have been the prominent journalist Sanjeev Mehra (Neeraj Kabi). The Paatal Lok trailer also introduces Renu (Gul Panag), Chaudhary's wife.

From Paatal Lok to Snowpiercer, TV Shows to Watch in May 2020

Paatal Lok trailer

Paatal Lok trailer opens by introducing the three figurative worlds: swarga lok (heaven) where “gods” live, dharti lok (Earth) where “common men” like Chaudhary live, and paatal lok (underworld) where “insects” like Tyagi live. After the four criminals are arrested, Chaudhary and the Uttar Pradesh police begin to torture the four, with Kabir M. hounded for “hiding” his Muslim identity. CBI takes over the case as the investigation goes on, and Chaudhary is suspended for what seems like a political cover-up of sorts. But since he's the hero, Chaudhary continues his own off-the-books investigation, which could land him in serious trouble.

Paatal Lok cast

In addition to Ahlawat (Bard of Blood), Banerjee (Stree), Sandhu (Leila), Khan (Jamtara), Kabi (Taj Mahal 1989), and Panag (Dor), Paatal Lok also stars Niharika Lyra Dutt (Die Trying) as Sara Matthews, Swastika Mukherjee (Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!) as Dolly, and Ishwak Singh (Malaal) as Imran Ansari. Paatal Lok has been created by Udta Punjab writer Sudip Sharma, who also serves as the executive producer alongside Anushka and her brother Karnesh Sharma, who produce Paatal Lok through their banner Clean Slate Filmz. Prosit Roy (Pari) and cinematographer Avinash Arun (Masaan) have directed the nine episodes of Paatal Lok.

Amazon is referring to Paatal Lok as a nine-part series, which suggests that it might only have a single season. Gadgets 360 has reached out for comment and will update if we hear back.

“Paatal Lok is every creator's dream,” Sudip said in a prepared statement. “This is an Indian story at heart but with great global appeal thanks to the themes it portrays and the characters it presents. I am pleased that alongside Clean Slate Filmz, I get to make my digital debut on Amazon Prime Video.”

“Gritty and authentic stories from the heartland are appreciated by audiences across the world,” Prime Video's India originals head Aparna Purohit said. “Paatal Lok is yet another step towards our goal of providing engaging local content that puts India and quintessentially Indian stories on the global map. Expect a high-octane chase, intense emotional drama, and trailblazing performances.”

Thappad, Jumanji: The Next Level, and More on Prime Video in May

Paatal Lok synopsis

“A down and out cop (Ahlawat) lands the case of a lifetime when four suspects are nabbed in the assassination attempt of a prime-time journalist (Kabi). The case turns out to be a devious maze where nothing is what it looks like. The pursuit of it leads him to the dark netherworld – the 'Paatal Lok' – and to shocking discoveries in the past of the four suspects.”

Paatal Lok release date

Paatal Lok is out May 15 on Amazon Prime Video in India and across the world.

Can Netflix force Bollywood to reinvent itself? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS. You can also download the episode or just hit the play button below.