Maybe We Do Live In Paatal Lok
[Viewer Discretion] - The Following blog discusses sensitive topics, and may be more relevant to viewers that have watched "Paatal Lok."
The show starts off with four people, that are accused to being culprits of being involved in a plan to murder a popular news journalist. Once arrested, our cop - and the main character of the show, Hathi Ram Chaudary, along with his junior, Ansari, try to solve the case. However, after minimal progress on paper, the case is taken away from them and is handed over to CID, which sees potential and turns what'd rather be a small story to a terrorist conspiracy - which the news journalist - who is a man cheating on his wife, whilst she deals with anxiety attacks through pills, takes advantage of. Even when asked to keep this information given to him as per the formality of being the victim, he makes a breaking news out of this confidential information that was to be revealed sooner, and uses the increased TRP to get the channel a buy offer for a higher price. The case is to be closed with the four accused, put on trial, for a murder they were merely accused of doing. Hathi Ram is not satisfied with this and seeks an answer of his own.
The show takes what appears to be four dreadful criminals, and turns us into sympathizers for them. which even feels righteous. These four culprits happen to be victims of issues that the modern India feels it has long left behind - issues like caste discrimination, r*pe , child exploitation and m*lestation, political conspiracies, religious stereotypes, poor parenting, and generational trauma.
All these are issues where one loses their sense of conscience, but these leave a scar on society and give birth to people where it only feels righteous for them to hate the world they live in, the way it is. whereas the majority, or the powerful, continue hiding behind their actions - justifying and convincing the world that either what they did was right - or bury their actions under the carpet where no one may sweep anyway.
four people - Hathoda Tyagi, originally a quiet boy from a rural village, his life was shattered when local mafia elements committed heinous crimes against his family, driving him down a path of relentless vengeance, but an avid lover of dogs. Cheeni - a transwoman who faced abuse for her choices and rejection after being abandoned by her uncle on a train. Chaaku - driven by intense anger and a need for survival, he fled his rural hometown after facing severe caste-based discrimination, humiliation, and local violence. Kabir - A muslim man, terrified by widespread religious violence and systemic prejudice, he goes to extreme lengths to camouflage his true identity just to survive in society.
It is a deep and tragic irony at the end when its shown that these four people - who were incidentally put together into plan by higher political involvement for their own benefit - were already about to kill the journalist, but when the man leading their group - Hathoda Tyagi, sees him outside his home with his wife, who's consoling and feeding a stray dog. For the first time, he decides to question the task given to him by the man that allowed him refuge in his home.
Because he believes that "When a dog loves a man, he is a good man. When a man loves a dog, he is a good man."
He decides to call off the plan for murder. and it is sad that the man he saves, by not killing, is the same man that insolently uses the poorly placed terrorism story against them. Just to show that he is definitely the righteous man, for there were people from China and Muslim terrorist groups that tried to kill him.
If only he truly cared about journalism, and tried to dive deeper into this tragedy that made these four culprits who they were - he could have invited attention to these pressing issues - to ensure no one else is reborn with the same fate as Tyagi, Cheeni, Kabir or Chaaku, but instead the journalist only cared about his image, the TRP and the materialistic gains - hell, he is even inconsiderate to the same wife that unknowingly saved his life due to her unconditional love for dogs.
But our journalist is a man like many in India. Never admitting to their mistakes, hiding behind their fake righteousness, being no better than the same people that caused the four culprits to become who they were.
The whole fictional incident feels nothing less of a reflection. Another fake story influenced by politics to garner votes and feed the already-fat stereotypes. And letting these pressing issues, that continue to strain and fatigue the society, take their continuous course of time and keep repeating.
Our main character isn't so clean either, he is fatigued by work, and removes the frustration of his work life and lack of progress on his own son, but Hathi Ram has learnt no better from his own father. When Hathi Ram first meets the journalist, he proudly tells that his son studies in the same school as where the journalist used to go. The journalist does not bat a reaction to it. But it is sad that he's a father that works hard to send his son to that school, so he doesn't turn up illiterate or uneducated like him, but his own son is embarrassed of his father's profession and name. The children in his school taunt him by calling him "Haathi Ka Beta" (Elephant's Son), which pushes their relation into a regressive one. Fortunately, there is Hathi Ram's wife who helps him correct his behavior with his son.
You could argue that no one is better than no one in this scenario, and likewise, you could argue that for many societies in India. But the difference between the journalist and Hathi Ram is that Hathi Ram believes in humility, he accepts his mistake and tends to do better, and accepts what is to be received for his actions with grace. Amidst a heated exchange involving himself, his wife, and his son, he ends up slapping his wife out of rage throughout the confused and suddenly rushed scenario - a scenario where his son was being troubled by goons, who looked down upon him for being a city kid going to private school, and to prove he is worthy and fits in, he ends up stealing a gun which he is beaten up for, Hathi ram decides to get him up and go to the people's houses and rough everyone up. - His son realizes that my father isn't ideal, but he does care in the best way he can. - anyway, when he returns, his wife slaps him back. He does not say a word, but shows that he deserved it, and he got it.
Maybe the title does make sense when you finish the first season. Before that, you're wondering as to why would a murder mystery be called Paatal Lok. But maybe it is true.
We live in a judgmental, divided society. Where people still believe casteism should exist, certain religions should be suppressed, and where they decide the ideal person is only what they deem as the ideal. Despite all this, they tend to believe they may still deserve heaven, urf Swarg Lok, Humans believe they live in the middle - The Earth, urf Prithvi Lok. But dare I say, maybe we all have a role to play in this ever growing mess of the Paatal Lok.
Everyone got their way out of doing what they wanted with the families and lives of these four people that made them what they are, and eventually culprits. But instead of them being trialed, educated and rehabilitated - We once again let stereotypes do the storytelling, and decide to punish merely the very end products of a series of actions that make our Loka so Paatal. Where one gruesome murderer's last bit of humanity, that allowed the journalist to live, also let the journalist use him as a stepping stone to gain his Heaven urf Swarg, Be it materialistically through his profits, high TRP, media attention, etc. But like always, we Indians lost sight of what's truly important.
The places that these sophisticated, righteous feeling news channels reach are also groups of sophisticated, self righteous people that tend to dwell in first world problems. Whilst the roots that need attention keep decaying - The problem with India isn't that no-one wants to move forward, it's that when people take two steps forward, someone sets us two steps back too.
I'd like to conclude with a story that Hathi Ram narrated at the end of the story to the journalist, Sanjeev Mehra. It takes place after the Mahabharat - It's time for the five Pandavas to go and attain heaven after the battle is over, but slowly on their way, the Pandavas eventually die. The last of the Pandavas that remains is Yudhishthira, whilst on his way, he meets a dog. He befriends the dog and walks with him till the doors of heaven, where Lord Indra awaits him.
Lord Indra allows him to step in, but on the condition that he lets the dog stay out, complaining that a low-life animal shouldn't be allowed in Heaven. But Yudhishthira isn't satisfied. He says, "I befriended the dog, it provided me company till the gates of Heaven whilst my brothers all died. If this dog cannot enter the gates, I won't either."
Lord Indra then reveals that it was merely a test. The Dog turns out to be Dharma, the god of righteousness, revealing that this was a test of Yudhishthira's virtue.
Just like the journalist used Tyagi as his dog to attain heaven in his own way, India isn't so different either. Maybe everyone would be ahead of time and open minded if it weren't for them being held back in their lives, with strings woven by their very own people. And instead of letting stereotypes lead the boring, everlong story of life, maybe one could use the media to magnify upon the people that weave these strings, rather than what's merely attached at the end.
Then, and only then, might we possibly climb our way out of Paatal Lok. And dream of attaining the Swarga Lok that merely lives in imagination so far.
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