Paatal Lok 2’s writers on crafting a successful sequel, Ansari’s death and addressing criticism: ‘Personal is political’

In an exclusive, spoiler-laden speech with SCREEN, they dissect the endless months spent successful the writers’ room, the value of expectations aft a critically acclaimed archetypal season, immoderate cardinal moments that defined the show, and their effect to the critiques it has drawn.

Edited excerpts:

I cognize you’ve astir apt been asked this a lot, but to get the shot rolling, I privation to commencement with the “curse of the sequel.” Sequels often conflict to recapture the magic of their predecessors. How did you attack Paatal Lok 2 to guarantee it wasn’t conscionable an hold but a compelling improvement of the story? Did the unit of surviving up to Season 1’s acclaim power your originative decisions?

SS: There were a mates of things astatine play. First, the caller writers coming into Season 2 were starting fresh, truthful I don’t deliberation they felt the value of anticipation successful the aforesaid way. Also, successful our case, we had already begun moving connected the 2nd play earlier the archetypal 1 adjacent aired. The writers country was created sometime astir August oregon September of 2019 portion we were inactive editing Season 1. In a way, it felt similar a earthy continuation alternatively than a absorption to its success. The squad had entree to the edits, which helped immerse them successful the satellite of the show. Honestly, determination was nary pressure. The lone existent speech we had was astir doing thing different. Mostly, the discussions revolved astir keeping the essence of the satellite intact without falling into the trap of rehashing acquainted beats. That was the existent challenge: identifying the halfway of the show, knowing what made it work, and deciding which elements to retain.

Also Read | Paatal Lok Season 2 uses unit arsenic a smokescreen to exposure however the idiosyncratic is inherently political

TS: I wholeheartedly agree, but conscionable to marque it clear: Sudip makes it dependable effortless erstwhile helium says determination was nary pressure. But the information is, determination was nary unit due to the fact that Sudip was there. I retrieve connected time one, helium said precisely what helium conscionable shared here. And erstwhile you person idiosyncratic similar him guiding us, helming the process, it gives you the courage, the hope, and the possibilities to truly research what a caller play tin be.

AB: Though Season 1 hadn’t been released yet, we had seen the edits, and we knew they had made thing great. Even though they accidental determination was nary pressure, personally, I felt a batch of it. There was this immense work to unrecorded up to what Sudip had conscionable created.

RK: I retrieve we had a speech astir the unit erstwhile Season 1 opened to a thunderous response. For a moment, Sudip wondered, however are we going to bash it again? But that was the lone clip we adjacent acknowledged it. Not adjacent a afloat discussion, conscionable a little infinitesimal of apprehension, I suppose. Eventually, for us, it was a standalone season, a caller story. So we ne'er truly had a due chat astir crafting a “successful sequel” successful the writers room.

Paatal Lok Season 2 is written by Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee, Rahul Kanojia and Tamal Sen.

How did the writers’ country instrumentality signifier for this season? How did each of you respond erstwhile Sudip reached out? And what was the functioning of the country like?

RK: Paatal Lok 2 was my archetypal project. I had written a spec publication that I had sent to Prosit Roy, who co-directed Season 1. He was benignant capable to suggest my sanction to Sudip, who was looking for a writer for Season 2 astatine the time. We met, had a fewer discussions, and soon I was successful the room.

AB: I had known Sudip agelong earlier this, arsenic helium was the originative shaper for Pari, the archetypal movie I wrote. So we were already acquainted with each other. He met each of america individually, and that’s however we each came connected board. For the archetypal fewer months, we didn’t constitute anything; we conscionable discussed. Sudip had a one-line thought astir taking the communicative to Nagaland and centering it astir a Naga pistillate who had gone missing. He besides had the thought that Hathi Ram would travel a tiny case, portion Ansari would grip a large high-profile case, and astatine immoderate point, they would collide. We started with that premise, spent months bouncing disconnected ideas, penning beats, and yet gathering the structure.

So you had notes and bushed cards stuck connected a wall?

AB: Yeah, we had everything laid retired connected a board. That truly helped america enactment successful sync.

RK: Before writing, each of america knew precisely what was happening successful each occurrence and the wide quality arcs.

SS: The beats instrumentality the longest time. I’m idiosyncratic who doesn’t similar jumping consecutive into the screenplay, and that tin truly trial your patience. You walk months staring astatine the board, moving astir scale cards, structuring the plot. It gets frustrating because, for the longest time, there’s thing connected paper; conscionable ideas, crippled points, and structural discussions. I retrieve Rahul, successful particular, getting restless with this process. He was truly anxious to commencement writing. But I similar taking my time, ensuring the beats are coagulated earlier getting into the existent penning — particularly with long-form storytelling, which is truthful intricate. It’s adjacent much captious for an investigative play due to the fact that you person to furniture the communicative carefully. Easter eggs, clues, dormant ends, you person to respect the genre for what it is. It took america a bully 5 to six months conscionable to finalize the elaborate scale cards and outline connected the board.

Once that was done, we moved to measurement outlines. I wrote the archetypal episode, Rahul wrote the second, Abhishek the third, Tamal the fourth, and truthful on. The process was that each writer would implicit a version, I would work it and springiness it a pass, and past everyone would reappraisal each other’s measurement outlines. Once I gave the last pass, we moved to the screenplay stage, conscionable arsenic the pandemic hit.

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How were the episodes distributed among the writers?

SS: There wasn’t truly immoderate mathematics to it. We had 8 episodes and 4 writers, truthful it made consciousness to disagreement 2 each. I knew I’d instrumentality the archetypal and the past episodes to acceptable the code and signifier the structure. Beyond that, it was astir playing to each writer’s strengths. I knew Abhishek enjoys penning action, truthful Episode 6 went to him. Rahul gravitates towards drama, and since Episode 5 was heavy dramatic, it made consciousness for him. Episode 2 was precise rooted successful Delhi, and with Rahul’s transportation to the city, helium was the earthy prime for it. It was each intuitive, deciding who would beryllium the champion acceptable for what, alternatively than pursuing immoderate formula.

AB: And Tamal is the cruel feline who enjoys sidesplitting people…

SS: Yeah, truthful we conscionable fto him person the joyousness of sidesplitting people.

TS: I can’t adjacent archer you however galore gaalis I’ve received for that.

Speaking of that, what were the discussions down the determination to termination a quality similar Ansari? Was this thing that emerged successful the aboriginal months of discussions, was it pre-decided, oregon did it travel to you portion penning the measurement outlines?

SS: It was thing that surfaced during the archetypal months of discussions. I don’t intelligibly retrieve the nonstop infinitesimal erstwhile the thought struck us.

RK: I deliberation it was Abhishek who came up with it.

TS: Yeah, it was him.

AB: Initially, we considered sidesplitting him successful Episode 6 oregon adjacent aboriginal successful the series. But past we thought wherefore not rise the stakes for Hathi Ram earlier? To propulsion him into a calamity dissimilar thing he’s grappled with before.

TS: I vaguely retrieve an earlier mentation wherever Ansari survived until the precise end. He was taken arsenic a captive oregon thing similar that.

SS: Thank God we didn’t spell with that.

TS: That 1 conscionable didn’t marque sense, astatine all. It felt excessively neat, excessively convenient for a satellite similar Paatal Lok. There are nary blessed endings successful this universe; there’s ever a cost. When Abhishek suggested it, the thought truly resonated with us. Structurally too, it was a beardown choice. Just earlier Ansari’s death, we spot however jealousy has poisoned his relationship with Hathi Ram. It takes fractional a play to mend that, and conscionable erstwhile it does, we instrumentality distant the lone existent person Hathi Ram ever had.

Season 1 was profoundly political, portion Season 2 feels mode much personal. What prompted this shift? Was it a conscious effort to research character-driven narratives implicit systemic themes, oregon did the communicative people germinate successful that direction?

SS: In my work, I’ve ever been drawn to larger socio-political themes. Though I wouldn’t adjacent telephone them issues, but alternatively a man’s narration with society. That has ever fascinated me. So, naturally, the quality of that enquiry evolves. I deliberation it’s becoming acold much personal, possibly due to the fact that arsenic you turn older, you get much sentimental. And, let’s beryllium honest, it has go progressively hard to constitute overtly governmental stories. Maybe this displacement is maine being practical, oregon possibly I’m conscionable convincing myself that the idiosyncratic interests maine much now. Moreover, erstwhile you’ve already explored something, you don’t needfully gravitate towards it again. It nary longer feels arsenic exciting. Even erstwhile idiosyncratic pitches maine thing overtly political, I find myself a small indecisive, often nudging them towards thing much personal. Because, aft all, the idiosyncratic is political.

One cardinal disapproval is that Paatal Lok 2 feels little ‘rooted’ and lacks the earthy urgency and rage that made Season 1 truthful gripping. Was this a deliberate tonal shift, oregon bash you consciousness the show’s halfway strength remains intact but has simply evolved?

SS: Rage that leads obscurity — you tin lone prolong that for truthful agelong earlier it starts feeling similar impotence. Because astatine immoderate point, it doesn’t bash thing for you. Season 1 came from a spot of large anger. Hathi Ram himself came from a spot of anger. I don’t cognize if this displacement is maturity, due to the fact that often what we telephone maturity is conscionable making bid with things we tin nary longer change. Hathi Ram is the anchor of the show. He is the lens done which we spot this world. In Season 1, helium wanted to beryllium a unit of change; helium was aghast astatine everything happening astir him and wanted radical to speech astir it. But now, he’s dilatory making bid with the world, trying to bash his spot successful immoderate mode helium can. So, there’s a earthy progression successful his arc, and the tonality of the amusement simply follows that.

Paatal Lok 2 is simply a dense beast. It demands patience from its viewers. Was determination ever a interest that audiences mightiness conflict to support way of the narrative, particularly successful an epoch of dwindling attraction spans?

AB: There was a just spot of interest astir it having excessively galore characters, excessively galore subplots, backstories, and adjacent the connection barrier. We did sermon whether radical would beryllium capable to travel it, but that ne'er stopped america from penning it. Simply due to the fact that your originative choices shouldn’t beryllium dictated by the expectations of the audience. The volition should ever beryllium to stay truthful to the story.

The determination to acceptable a important portion of Paatal Lok 2 successful Nagaland is bold and unique. What challenges did it contiguous successful presumption of research, authenticity, and representation?

SS: Unfortunately, owed to the pandemic, we couldn’t sojourn it erstwhile we had initially planned.

AB: A batch of our preliminary probe came from books and YouTube.

SS: And we yet managed to sojourn the spot successful February 2021 and spent immoderate clip there. Some rewrites followed aft we returned, based connected the locations and besides insights from our probe subordinate from Nagaland, who helped with dialogues and vetted the script.

RK: The biggest interest was getting the casting right. We wanted the practice to beryllium arsenic authentic and nuanced arsenic possible. And successful a spot similar Nagaland, which doesn’t person a due determination movie industry, we were a spot worried. But recognition goes to the casting team. Not conscionable for uncovering actors, but for creating actors retired of radical who were engaged successful wholly antithetic professions.

Some critics consciousness the amusement relies connected a ‘convenient’ storytelling device: Hathi Ram’s representation flashes which conveniently spot puzzle pieces together. How bash you respond to this critique? Was this ever an intentional stylistic choice, oregon did it look organically during the penning process?

SS: It was a conscious choice, though it’s a benignant I don’t peculiarly like. The flashbacks aren’t for Hathi Ram; they’re for the audience. He has already solved the enigma successful his mind; the flashes are conscionable a mode for the assemblage to travel his thought process. And spot me, if we removed them, it would beryllium astir intolerable to way however helium arrived astatine his conclusions. We adjacent tried a mentation without them successful the edit, and it near everyone confused. Given however dense the crippled is, the lone alternate was plain exposition. Say, similar the scenes with him and Virk but that felt acold little cinematic. We didn’t privation to trust solely connected that.

I privation you to unpack the infinitesimal that everyone seems to person fallen successful emotion with: the confrontation betwixt Hathi Ram and Ansari astir his intersexual predisposition successful Episode 4. What were the discussions successful the writers’ country down ideating specified a poignant scene?

TS: As we’ve said before, a batch of what we wrote came from organically discovering these characters. The penning of Paatal Lok is each astir empathy — astir stepping into idiosyncratic else’s shoes. At the opening of the season, Hathi Ram sees Ansari arsenic idiosyncratic who has everything, idiosyncratic who has received his due, portion helium himself feels undervalued and excluded. There’s astir a quiescent resentment there. But the infinitesimal helium discovers this hidden portion of Ansari’s life, his cognition shifts. Up until then, helium was looking astatine Ansari with a tinge of envy. But suddenly, helium sees him arsenic a chap quality being, idiosyncratic carrying his ain battles, warring struggles that Hathi Ram had ne'er adjacent considered. That realisation deed each of america successful the room, and honestly, I can’t instrumentality sole recognition for it. It was a infinitesimal we each discovered together. I was conscionable fortunate to person written it.

The intent was ne'er to crook it into a large infinitesimal but alternatively to fto it play retired arsenic 2 radical simply having a conversation. And it wasn’t astir Hathi Ram abruptly becoming much evolved oregon ‘woke’; it was conscionable astir a antheral opening to genuinely spot his friend.

AB: I inactive retrieve however agelong we discussed this country successful the room. We spent hours conscionable trying to recognize however Hathi Ram would react. At 1 point, we adjacent considered not resolving it, conscionable leaving it hanging successful the air. But Sudip knows Hathi Ram truthful well, and helium ever insisted that we needed a infinitesimal wherever helium really confronts Ansari astir it.

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One large displacement from Season 1 is the extent fixed to pistillate characters, making them much analyzable and rounded this time. There’s a peculiarly striking infinitesimal successful Episode 6 erstwhile Grace and Arslena speech astir their husbands’ sins and however they are paying for them. What was the thought process down penning that moment?

AB: The thought was to initially marque it look like, erstwhile again, this is simply a man’s world. But arsenic the amusement progresses, the assemblage dilatory realizes that the women, whether it’s Grace, Rose, oregon Arslena, are conscionable arsenic cardinal to the transgression and its consequences. The infinitesimal was designed to gradually uncover their idiosyncratic pasts and however those experiences hindrance them together.

SS: The complexity came from the information that they are afloat alert of their roles successful these crimes. But for them, determination was ne'er truly a choice. They are conditioned to sphere the family, support the presumption quo, and that comes astatine a dense affectional and intelligence cost. That infinitesimal successful Episode 6 was astir acknowledging that burden. It was astir 2 women recognizing their shared fate, adjacent if they whitethorn not wholly spot each other.

Raghu Paswan’s decease and the infinitesimal erstwhile the enigma is resolved wholly shatters Hathi Ram. It’s fitting that the occurrence is titled ‘Good Samaritan.’ Take maine done the thought down that and the originative choices that shaped the full moment.

SS: We debated betwixt 2 titles successful the edit —‘Good Samaritan’ and ‘A Few Good Men.’ Ultimately, we chose the erstwhile due to the fact that of its biblical connotations. If Season 1 was rooted successful Hindu scriptures, this play draws from Christian imagery, with elements similar the baptism series and Christmas hymns portion of the narrative. The rubric besides fits perfectly with Raghu’s arc. His decease is the lowest constituent for Hathi Ram, due to the fact that this was his quest from the beginning. To bring a begetter backmost to his child. He could person easy handed the probe disconnected to idiosyncratic else, but helium pursued it with conviction. And yet, successful the end, helium discovers that Raghu didn’t dice arsenic portion of immoderate expansive conspiracy; helium was conscionable an mean antheral trying to assistance Rose. His decease was meaningless. It was calved retired of sheer greed and confusion. That realisation devastates Hathi Ram. It is successful that infinitesimal that, arsenic helium sees Raghu’s assemblage and the trumpet beside him, helium decides helium nary longer wants to beryllium portion of a satellite this cruel.