A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Link to the YouTube review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56VQgQ0o6R0
Now, at first when one starts to notice the tonal similarities between Pataal Lok and Manorama one thinks of it as a mere coincidence. The reality, however, is that Navdeep Singh has served as the script consultant on Paatal Lok. While there is no denying that the series belongs to Sharma, Singh’s contribution just cannot be overlooked. The unrelenting mood that stylistically oozes out of each and every frame during the parts of the series set in Chitrakoot certainly bears Singh’s signature. Not to mention the lingering presence of signature noirish elements such as prying bystanders, cheating husbands, femme fatales, duplicitous cops, and morally ambiguous heroes in Pataal Lok’s treacherous world.
Paatal Lok’s labyrinthine storyline is replete with all kinds of
subplots. But the screenplay employs a rather unique nonlinear storytelling
approach that seamlessly ties up various secondary subplots to the central
narrative. Each new episode begins with a flashback of sorts involving totally
new characters which at first doesn’t make much sense but gradually things
begin to fall in place. The series is loaded with strong socio-political
commentary that makes highly relevant observations about the times we live in.
But it does so subtly without ever being preachy.
Paatal Lok has two very solid performances around which
everything else revolves. On one hand we have a washed out cop named Hathiram
Chaudhary (essayed by Ahlawat), on the other we have Sanjeev Mehra (Kabi), a firebrand
news anchor constantly at loggerheads with those in positions of power. Both
the actors are brilliant in their respective roles and are ably supported by
the rest of the cast. While Kabi’s is a truly international performance and he
never really misses a note, Ahlawat’s performance during which he goes though
an entire gamut of emotions can best be described as raw and gritty. Barring a
few hiccups, Paatal Lok is easily the best show to have come out of the Indian
web space in a long time.
Rating: 9/10
A version of this review was also published in The Sunday Guardian.
By Murtaza Ali Khan
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| Jaideep Ahlawat and Abhishek Banerjee in Paatal Lok |
Amazon Prime Video’s latest offering Pataal Lok is marked by constant
tonal changes. The nine episode series starts off as a police procedural cum
investigative thriller but then it takes noirish shades before transforming
into a family drama only to take noirish shades once again. Created by Sudip
Sharma, the writer of films like NH10, Udta Punjab, and Sonchiriya, Pataal Lok
stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Neeraj Kabi, Ishwak Singh, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Abhishek
Banerjee, Jagjeet Sandhu, Swastika Mukherjee, Asif Khan, Anindita Bose and Gul
Panag in key roles. The series is co-directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy
and is produced under the banner of Anushka Sharma’s Clean Slate Films.
While the series is essentially a blend of different genres, it
is during its noir parts that the series is at its most exhilarating. As a
matter of fact, Paatal Lok is likely to remind film noir fans of Navdeep
Singh’s 2007 neo-noir film Manorama Six Feet Under which was loosely based on
Roman Polanski’s 1974 Hollywood classic Chinatown. A lot of the people who have
watched both Manorama Six Feet Under and Chinatown feel that the former is good
enough to stand on its own as an independent film. That’s how good a film
Manorama is.
You can also watch my review here
(in Hindi)
Link to the YouTube review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56VQgQ0o6R0
Now, at first when one starts to notice the tonal similarities between Pataal Lok and Manorama one thinks of it as a mere coincidence. The reality, however, is that Navdeep Singh has served as the script consultant on Paatal Lok. While there is no denying that the series belongs to Sharma, Singh’s contribution just cannot be overlooked. The unrelenting mood that stylistically oozes out of each and every frame during the parts of the series set in Chitrakoot certainly bears Singh’s signature. Not to mention the lingering presence of signature noirish elements such as prying bystanders, cheating husbands, femme fatales, duplicitous cops, and morally ambiguous heroes in Pataal Lok’s treacherous world.
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| Gul Panag in Paatal Lok |
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| Neeraj Kabi in Paatal Lok |
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIt totally shows that how they fakedup with hinduphobia
I think this movie is looking like total waste of time.
ReplyDeleteAlso shows fake mentality of the makers.
Awesome
ReplyDeleteसब कोई जानता है कि रेपिस्ट, आतंकवादी दंगाई, लोगों को परेशान करके भागने वाले, गैंगस्टर,मर्डर और halala करने वाले कौन होते हैं फिर ये पश्चिम में सूरज उगाने की कोशिश क्यों हो रही है।
ReplyDeleteएक समुदाय विशेष के प्रति,सांप्रदायिक, असहिष्णु, घृणास्पद, पूर्वाग्रह से ग्रस्त है ये वेब सीरीज।
ReplyDelete