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Paatal Lok’s creator and director, Sudip Sharma, has previously worked on series and films like NH 10, Udta Punjab and Kohrra.
Paatal Lok season 2 premiered on January 17. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Amazon Prime’s highly anticipated crime thriller Paatal Lok, created by Sudip Sharma, recently returned for a second season. Ever since it premiered on the streaming platform on January 17, the series has captivated the audience with its gripping storyline and impeccable performances by the star cast. Following the success of the series, its creator sat for an interview, where he talked about his recent release and the “problematic” violent films in mainstream cinema nowadays.
In a conversation with OTTPlay, the filmmaker shared that violence has become the end of mainstream cinema and the absence of consequences for such actions is quite troubling to him. Sudip Sharma explained, “Somewhere down the line, violence has become an end in itself in the larger mainstream (cinema). Which disturbs me. Which honestly bothers me. If there are no consequences to the violence you see on screen, then it’s problematic.”
The writer, director and creator, who has worked on some of the best projects in Indian showbiz, further mentioned that violence of any kind in real life “takes a toll,” citing his own example. Sudip Sharma was born in Assam and lived in the state during the 80s and 90s, which was a very volatile period in their history. Thus, he had experienced violence and also witnessed the consequences of it. Hence, he questioned if normalising violence in films and desensitising the audience towards it is the way forward in mainstream cinema.
Without taking any names specific names, the Paatal Lok creator added, “In recent times, we’ve become desensitized because there’s so much violence in films with no consequences. One man enters a hotel with a gun and kills 150 people, and no one asks where the police are.” He further asked, “Why is no one talking about this? Why are we glorifying this man as a hero? Why aren’t we questioning the morality of his actions? That, to me, is problematic.”
Furthermore, Sharma talked about his thoughts on the genre, saying, “For me, violence is never the end; that is not the point of writing a violent film.” Citing his projects like NH10 and Paatal Lok, the director explained that the violence shown in these has a cause and, subsequently, a consequence.
Speaking of the new season of Paatal Lok, it revolves around the high-profile murder of a North-Eastern businessman during an important meet in Delhi. What follows after is a chain of systemic corruption, unforeseen deaths and personal turmoils. Starring a bunch of old cast members, including Jaideep Ahlawat and Ishwak Singh, the latest season introduced new characters played by Tilotama Shome and Prashant Tamang.
