2020 · Series
Paatal Lok
Sudip Sharma's Hindi neo-noir crime series in which a sidelined Delhi police inspector investigates a failed assassination attempt on a prominent television journalist.
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 18 October 2026, Paatal Lok is streaming in India on Prime Video with a subscription.
With subscription
Checked Sun, 18 Oct, 2026Open ↗
The story
Hathiram Chaudhary is a down-and-out inspector at a police station in East Delhi whose career has stalled. When four suspects are arrested over a plot to kill Sanjeev Mehra, a famous prime-time news anchor, the high-profile case unexpectedly lands on his desk. With his young junior Imran Ansari, Hathiram sets out to trace who the four suspects really are and who sent them, following leads that take him far from Delhi and into the lives of people society ignores.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
A grim, slow-burning investigation for adults who like crime stories rooted in caste, class and media politics. Prime Video rates it A for violence, nudity, substance use and alcohol use; some scenes are graphic.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Paatal Lok was created by Sudip Sharma and produced by Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate Filmz. Season 1 is loosely based on Tarun Tejpal's 2010 novel The Story of My Assassins, and its title draws on the idea of heaven, earth and the underworld as metaphors for India's social classes. Sharma began writing in January 2017, and the show was filmed across more than 110 real locations.
The nine-episode first season premiered on Prime Video on 15 May 2020. Variety listed it among the best international TV shows of 2020. After a gap of almost five years, the eight-episode second season, set amid political turmoil in Nagaland with Tillotama Shome joining Jaideep Ahlawat and Ishwak Singh, was released on 17 January 2025. At the inaugural Filmfare OTT Awards, the show won five awards from eight nominations, including Best Series and Best Actor for Ahlawat. Prime Video's India page offers Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam audio alongside Hindi.
The facts
- Language
- Hindi
- Hindi
- Hindi original
- Genre
- Neo-noir crime thriller, Police procedural
- Director
- Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy
- Cast
- Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Paatal Lok in India?
- As of 18 October 2026, Paatal Lok is streaming in India on Prime Video with a subscription.
- Is Paatal Lok in Hindi?
- Yes. Paatal Lok is a Hindi-language series.