An appreciation of Jaideep Ahlawat, our own elephant man

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Hathi Ram Chaudhary chews on information. A revelation made by someone he is questioning may well be a stick of sugarcane for his mental mastication.

You can see him, slowly, taking his time coming to grips with what he’s found out. Information, insults… whatever comes his way, he chews on it—and tucks it away for later. Who knows when he’ll need it.

Jaideep Ahlawat makes sure we can see the chewing even when the mouth isn’t moving. The actor is sensational in the new season of Paatal Lok, creating an unforgettable character, a policeman who is exceedingly tired as well as bloody tireless. Created by Sudip Sharma, Paatal Lok has gotten smarter and sharper with its second season, out now on Amazon Prime Video.

Ahlawat was impressive right from the first season, but the English-language parts—set around a media person under threat of assassins—were clumsy enough to get in the show’s way. The new season gives old Hathi Ram a whole new case in a new world, and even though he has to take a flight for the first time in his life, his own story remains the same. This is a solid season.