What emerged as a series being consumed by many during the pandemic, Paatal Lok has shared a commentary on what it means to be placed on the lower rungs of a society grappling with dogma, patriarchy, communal and regional tensions, with historical oppression sanctioned by the system that Hathi Ram Chaudhury (played by Jaideep Ahlawat) and Imran Ansari (played by Ishwak Singh), want to override. The second season, however, have strong characters played by women, who make it necessary to reflect upon their stories.
Dismissal and dejection in Paatal Lok
Women, even the characters who have limited screen-time, have had to face strong dismissal, in their professional, as well as, personal realm in Paatal Lok. The season begins with a young constable being questioned for her decision that involves quitting her “safe”-government job for a corporate one that seems to pay better. On a similar footing, when Gita Paswan’s husband goes missing, the policemen tend to not comply with her but feels compelled to investigate the matter, out of pity for a child who might have to grow up without a father.
On a similar footing, when Gita Paswan’s husband goes missing, the policemen tend to not comply with her but feels compelled to investigate the matter, out of pity for a child who might have to grow up without a father.
The scene is used as juxtaposition to the entire storyline of Paatal Lok which would reveal the inconsequential nature of a poor woman’s loss of a family member and death of a political leader, proving further, how the lives of poor women are not only riddled by the double burden of being a woman, but also by their belonging to the lower economic households.
The dismissal is categorically unveiled when a trainee forensic doctor chooses to put forward a social context to their case but the male doctor chides her and advises to share information only those that are to be found “on the table” (read: post-mortem table). This goes on to prove that women tend to put forward a “holistic” approach, instead of disregarding social cues. While the form may change, but the “repudiation” remains gendered.
SP Meghna Barua (played by Tillotama Shome), had been giving the two men from Delhi, a perfunctory nod, to carry out investigation in the state of Nagaland, where the second season of Paatal Lok found its setting. Rife with regional politics, community-infighting, and marginalisation from the mainland, Nagaland was being pursued by two men, who alien to the state, who, by virtue of their position, found it “responsible” to challenge the woman, by not paying heed to her orders, pushing themselves, and others’ lives, in jeopardy.
Renu Choudhary (played by Gul Panag), lives in a constant state of dismissal by her husband, Hathi Ram Choudhary, who found it necessary to not only trivialise the labour she had put into the household but expects to put up with his shenanigans, at all times. While negotiating with him in regards to being a tutor, the dejection she faced when he cut the call, abruptly, is palpable through the screen in Paatal Lok.
Of mothers and daughters in Paatal Lok
While the episode title would make one contemplate upon the mother-daughter relationships that are being portrayed in the story, the relationships between the mothers and their sons, leave lasting reverberations among the viewers. It is Renu Chaudhury, who seems to have difficulty coping with her life as her son left for college. Her sole reason of existence is centred around him, while the son finds her “surprise” annoying.
It is Renu Chaudhury, who seems to have difficulty coping with her life as her son left for college. Her sole reason of existence is centred around him, while the son finds her “surprise” annoying.
Yet, the scene in Paatal Lok portrays the father, who was almost always absent, as the one who is “rational”, contradicting Renu’s emotional stature. On the other hand, Reuben, the son of the assailed political leader, seems to have taken towards his mother, who calls upon him to “take charge” after the father’s death but rebukes him for not informing her before jumping on the decision-making bandwagon.
Although situated in different states, navigating dissimilar “life-worlds”, the two mothers lament at their son’s independence, abhorring the sons’ actions for not living upto their expectations. Renu Chaudhury accepts Guddu, as her own, and essentially feels a void after he was taken away. She is seen to experience similar loss, twice, that is, being bereft of “motherhood”.
It is the acceptance of Ananya (her son’s girlfriend) that figuratively marks a reluctant end to her “overbearing” nature and it was Reuben’s death that brings the mother-son relationship to an end. It is noteworthy to find the fathers’ absence from their sons lives, be it Reuben, Guddu, Renu’s son, or SP Meghna Barua’s.
Friends (or foes)?
While Asenla Thom and Grace Reddy take the brunt of their husbands’ transgressions in Paatal Lok, they share a bond that cannot be forgotten. Grace keeps aside her husband’s business deals, for once, and engages in an empathetic embrace, given Reuben’s death.
On the other hand, Esther Shipping, has provided constant support to Rose Lizo and her daughter, who she nurtured as her own, providing the pretext that she had lost her “own”. Oftentimes women are pitted against each other, either for fighting over men or ruining the the lives of other fellow women. This camaraderie among these women, unbeknownst to the characters themselves, have proved to be antithetical to the popular belief and holds a light to the community of women, feminist scholars, such as Audre Lorde, vouch for.
This camaraderie among these women, unbeknownst to the characters themselves, have proved to be antithetical to the popular belief and holds a light to the community of women, feminist scholars, such as Audre Lorde, vouch for.
One cannot help but take cognisance of Rose Lizo’s character (played by Merenla Imsong) in Paatal Lok, who, although, did not appear on-screen much, remains the central character, surrounding whom, the storyline evolves. Appearing in baggy denims and over-sized t-shirt, her walk through the railway station revealed the strength of her character, taking on the story, single-handedly.
With a traumatic past that she didn’t allow to penetrate her daughter’s life, her death marked the end of the season. Rose’s attending physician remarked that her “will to live” alone, might save from dying. Her daughter’s visit to the hospital and her denouncement of their relationship might have been the last straw for Rose.
Upon retrospection, this season of Paatal Lok reflected the blatantly mundane and everyday lives of women, who, despite their social standing, hold a mirror to the pervasive patriarchy that operates within all echelons of the society. It is within this mundane existence where women are constantly negotiating and deliberating to live a life that is destined to be questioned, pervaded, and looked down, upon.
It is within this mundane existence where women are constantly negotiating and deliberating to live a life that is destined to be questioned, pervaded, and looked down, upon.
While Hathi Ram Chaudhury might emerge as the sole survivor of an inter-state investigation of multiple murders and drug cartels, the women have to continually fight for their liberation. Not all can be truly liberated. Some have to live under the shadows of men that they, themselves, don’t realise.
