Paatal Lok

 "Paatal Lok" is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller web television series available on Amazon Prime Video. Created by Sudip Sharma, who co-wrote the script with Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, and Gunjit Chopra, the series is directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. Anushka Sharma produced the show under the banner Clean Slate Filmz. The series stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, and Abhishek Banerjee. Loosely based on Tarun Tejpal's novel "The Story of My Assassins," the storyline follows a disillusioned cop who is assigned a case involving an unsuccessful assassination attempt.

Sudip Sharma initiated the script in January 2017, dedicating over a year to writing and pre-production. The series was filmed across more than 110 real locations, with "Paatal Lok" being the first web series shot at Chitrakoot. Avinash Arun and Saurabh Goswami handled the cinematography, while Sanyukta Kaza performed the editing. The background score was a collaboration between Naren Chandravarkar and Benedict Taylor. Clean Slate Filmz, led by Anushka Sharma, made its television series production debut with "Paatal Lok."

"Paatal Lok" premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 15, 2020, receiving praise from critics for its performances, storyline, writing, and direction. The series was included in the Top 10 Indian Web Series of 2020 by The Indian Express and was listed by Variety as one of the best international TV shows of 2020.

At the inaugural Filmfare OTT Awards, "Paatal Lok" earned eight nominations and won five awards, including Best Actor (Jaideep Ahlawat), Best Series, Best Original Story, Best Screenplay, and Best Direction (Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy). In May 2020, the makers announced plans for the second season, which was officially renewed by Amazon Prime on April 28, 2022.

The show's narrative revolves around Hathiram Chowdhary, portrayed by Jaideep Ahlawat, a cynical cop assigned to investigate a high-profile case. As the investigation progresses, Hathiram gets entangled in the darker realms of the underworld. "Paatal Lok" draws inspiration from traditional concepts of Svarga, Dharti, and Paatal (heaven, earth, and hell) as metaphors for the different classes of India and the four estates, with the hellish Paatal serving as a prime setting in East Delhi.