Sudip Sharma’s Pataal Lok (Amazon Prime, 2020) was the show that proved Indian streaming could do prestige drama as well as anyone. Jaideep Ahlawat as Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary anchors a procedural that’s also a state-of-the-nation address.
The four-suspect structure — each backstory rendered as a self-contained episode — is novelistic in scope. Caste, religion, sexuality, North-East India: the show takes them seriously without ever moralizing. The Hathiram-Imran (Ishwak Singh) partnership is one of Indian TV’s great duos.
Season 2 (2025) is forthcoming. Season 1 alone is a masterclass.
