The second season of Paatal Lok, released recently on Amazon Prime Video, is worth the five-year wait. In the very first frame, we see a Naga waiter cleaning up, and speaking in Nagamese on the phone. It’s a startling and unexpected opening for a web series that features a Haryanvi cop as the protagonist. Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary, played by Jaideep Ahlawat, has entered a different Paatal Lok or nether land – Nagaland.
And the makers have got Nagaland right. Chaudhary is supported by a gallery of characters and a script that unravels the complex politics of the Northeast state without sacrificing the essence of the gritty thriller. Season 2 of Paatal Lok is a masterclass in depicting the Northeast authentically, without resorting to caricaturisation and stereotypes. Filmmakers and writers should take notes.
What stands out the most is that Naga characters speak in Nagamese instead of accented Hindi, unless interacting with the few characters from Delhi. Nagamese is a pidgin language (a mix of Assamese, Hindi, English and Bengali) spoken in Nagaland.
The inclusion of this language puts the onus on the audience to understand what is being said. In one fell swoop, Paatal Lok demolishes the idea that Hindi is the norm.
It is not the responsibility of a film or web series to spoon-feed its audience everything. There are always subtitles—we accept them for foreign films, so why can’t we extend this to Indian movies?
From the prime suspect Rose Lizo (Merenla Imsong), former rebel leader Ken (Jahnu Baruah), local SP Meghna Barua (Tillottama Shome) to the wife of local businessman Grace (Theyie Keditsu), the characters from Nagaland push the narrative forward. They are not a mere inclusivity project.
The first episode kicks off with the murder and decapitation of Jonathan Thom (Kaguirong Gonmei), an influential Naga leader, in an upscale Delhi hotel. The ramifications are felt back home. An upcoming Naga summit might get derailed, stalling development in a state that has seen decades worth of insurgencies.
Exploring ‘outsider’ theme
One key issue handled masterfully in Paatal Lok is the insider/outsider debate. Right outside the airport in one scene, a Hindi-speaking man, who originally hails from Bihar, shouts ’permit, permit’ to the people coming out of the airport in Kohima. The irony is palpable. Visitors need Inner Line Permits to enter protected areas in some Northeast states including Nagaland. But here, a Hindi-speaking driver, who is himself shown as stuck in the state because of a court case, is shouting ‘permit’ at other travellers. Later, he reveals he just wants to go home, and that Nagaland has become a ‘Paatal Lok’ for him.
The outsider theme is revisited when a man from Rajasthan, whose father moved to Nagaland to set up a business, talks about the illegal taxes he is forced to pay by insurgent groups. This scene also throws light on the Marwari businesspeople and other Hindi-speaking communities that have, over time, settled in the Northeast. He breaks down while asking Hathiram Chaudhary how he could be considered an outsider after being born in Nagaland and spending his entire life there. It is shown, rather than explained, that the mistrust of outsiders isn’t limited to Hindi-speaking states.
Another character, Isaac (Bendang Walling) does not trust his Assamese boss SP Megha Barua. She is a woman and an outsider. Paatal Lok shows that even Nagas, who often face racism and exploitation outside their state, do not hesitate to show similar behaviour. This effectively eliminates the ‘victim’ lens, the only way Northeastern communities are looked at. Hindi films and shows mostly fail to explore the region’s own prejudices against outsiders, often steeped in what residents consider ‘valid’ reasons.
Thankfully, they are not neatly divided into victims or perpetrators but simply as people with their own set of problems and biases.
Another personal favourite is when Imran Ansari (Ishwak Singh), an IPS officer who was once Chaudhary’s junior, is told that Nagaland is a ‘troubled’ area. “I am from Anantnag”, he tells his superior officer coolly.
However, the show depicts that Ansari’s own experiences in Kashmir are not enough for him to understand or deal with the unique issues of Nagaland.
Jaideep Ahlawat’s character, Hathiram Chaudhary, is as crucial in this season as in the last. He plays the quintessential North Indian, used to getting his way by brute force when angered, and privileged because of the language he speaks. But in Nagaland, he is a nobody. He is forced to respond sensitively and make an effort to understand people. And he realises that throwing his badge around or hurling expletives in Hindi won’t yield the same results as in Delhi.
Paatal Lok shows real problems – from the rampant exploitation of power to the abuse of drugs and weapons. ‘Rebel leaders’ are portrayed as having their own agendas, which have nothing to do with development. The makers of Paatal Lok, however, don’t show Naga people as misguided individuals who need directions from Delhi. They keep it simple–treat Nagas as people who need not be ‘explained’ to the Hindi audience. Bollywood, please take note.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
I agree with the columnist. The serial treats Nagaland and its people with maturity and respect. No caricaturing of any kind and no prejudices of any kind. A good portrayal.
Does Pataal Lok cover the Naga tribes which still headhunt in this day and age?
The Nagas are ferocious warriors. But they are also brutal and savage to their enemies. Cutting off the enemy’s head and then keeping the skull as a memento. Thanks to the concerted efforts by the Christian missionaries, slowly but steadily they are getting civilized.