Paatal Lok: Emulating the Brutal Reality Around Us

Persistence of Caste and Discrimination in the Indian Society

Please Note: This article showcases my opinion and interpretation of the show.

Amazon Prime’s Paatal Lok veraciously depicts the harsh realities of India. The crime thriller web series produced by Anushka Sharma enthralls the audience with it’s fast-paced, intelligent and engrossing story line. The underlying symbolism running throughout the show is the distinction between Swarg (Heaven), Dharti (Earth) and Paatal (Hell) showcasing the different layers in our society. The rich and powerful in central districts of the capital are in heaven, the middle class reside on Earth and the insect like creatures are the disparaged section of minorities discarded by the society. The characterization of men of different classes is depicted to further foreground the segments in society. For instance, Sanjeev Mehra, is the media head who is clearly a very privileged journalist, next, is our protagonist, Haathiram Choudhary who is a middle class inspector and his station is Outer Jamuna Paar which is basically the pit, and lastly, the 4 victims of different caste systems, one Muslim (of course) and one transgender, who are at the bottom of this threshold. It reflects the gospel truth around us which we knowingly are too afraid to acknowledge. It showcases police corruption, fake news, casteism, communalism, normalization of infidelity, molestation, rape and murder, opression of transgenders etc.

Beginning with Swarg (Heaven), the show makes us delve deeper into the life of Sanjeev Mehra who was supposedly the victim of the assasination attempt. It shows that even with power, money and education, one’s mentality still doesn’t change. He was having an affair with his younger colleague because of his inability to help his wife who was suffering from anxiety because apparently adultery is better than supporting your wife “through sickness and health”. It shows how mental health is still a taboo for the upper class. It makes me ponder why it’s so easy for one to accept a physical injury but not a mental one? Mehra’s lack of ability to acknowledge his wife’s problem (which could’ve been better had he consulted a psychologist) shows how societal pressure wins over everything in India. His self-centred personality is suggestive of his lackadaisical attitude towards everyone but himself as he enjoyed the attention & the publicity stunt.

Next, our protagonist is a working class man who is overcoming many personal and professional obstacles, conforming to most people on Dharti (Earth). He is aggressive because of the unresolved issues he faced with his own father, projecting his inability to be a decent father himself. The antagonism is often a defence mechanism for men like Haathiram Choudhary who aren’t like the conventional hegemonic male figures of the society because of their insecurities. He lacks socio-economic privilege which makes it harder for him to earn the respect of his family and colleagues. Moreover, his son faces a different set of challenges conforming to his stereotypical image of a dark skinned, middle class boy. In India, it is believed that having a fair skin = being an upper class member, and therefore, his son had an inferiority complex in his rather posh school. It also shows how society and peers may force you into juvenile crime because you rather hang out with people who possess guns to gain power against those who spit on you. Additionally, Haathiram’s sidekick, Imran Ansari is plunged into a place crammed by majoritarian politics. He is stuck in a world where communal slurs against Muslims in India are so normalized that because he doesn’t conform to the religious majority, he will be left in the lurch sooner than later. Showcasing your religion when one is privileged to demean the one who isn’t favoured is also seen in scenes when the inspectors do regular pujas (prayers) and distribute prasad (sweets) in the police station. Majoritarianism is rising in India as Hindutva has become an anchor in political mobilizations. This type of nationalism asserts the superiority of the majority community (Hindus over Muslims in our case), which ends up alienating people and causing a failure to uphold individual rights & basic equality.

Finally, coming to the Paatal Lok (Hell) which demonstrates multifarious aspects of erroneous crimes committed by these people. For instance, the rape culture in India is glorified, yet again. In one of the episodes named “History of Violence”, men were talking about chhota kaam (molestation), bada kaam (rape) and pura kaam (rape and murder) as a song lyrics depicting the harsh reality. It showcases how much power men have in society that allows them to openly say and do such things to women, with minimal repurcurisons (if any at all). The commodification of women is heightened when raping one’s sisters was the solution to solving a land dispute. Furthermore, one of the accused characters was Cheeni (Mary), who was a passive queer victim as well as conforming to a North-Eastern identity which opened room for further discrimination. Her name itself is such a racial slur and when her transgender identity was releaved, her treatment in the cells were spine-chilling. As she was not a typical woman, she was forced to bathe in front of a man who was masturbating. This reveals the lack of apprehension by the judicial system when it comes to treating someone who doesn’t conform to society’s ideas. Additionally, Paatal Lok digs deeper into caste politics in the form of Tope Singh’s back story. Though he escapes the upper-caste bullies, his family, consequently, suffers because someone ought to pay for your crimes.

To end, the show suggests that it is indeed the Swarg lok which feeds the Paatal lok with dirty politics and filth which is used to demean minorities. The ideal individual from the society’s point of view is formed after looking at gender, class, caste and religion. This is the reality of the “other India”. If the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh himself says “castes play the same role in the Hindu society that furrows play in farms, and help in keeping it organized and orderly” then it’s strenuous for common people like you and I to alter one’s approach.