Jaideep Ahlawat on why Paatal Lok 2 was delayed, getting validation after playing Hathi Ram: ‘Logon ko lagne laga main kaam kar leta hoon’

Jaideep Ahlawat is on a roll, with the recent success of Jaane Jaan and Maharaja still fresh in audiences’ minds. Now, the talented actor is gearing up for the highly anticipated second season of his critically acclaimed web series Paatal Lok, set to drop on Amazon Prime Video soon. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, Ahlawat reflects on his showbiz journey. He credits his breakout role as Hathi Ram in Paatal Lok for giving him the validation he deserved, proving to himself and others that he’s capable of carrying bigger, more complex projects on his shoulders.

The actor has been asked several times why Paatal Lok is taking so long to come out. He says, “The phase that the audience was going through, we were all going through the same phase. We were waiting for Paatal Lok 2 to come too. After Covid-19, we had the first wave, the second wave. We didn’t know when we would start shooting it. We were waiting. Now that the wait is over, I am just hoping that it reaches the audience and they understand why we took so long to come up with the new season. Acchi cheesein banne mein time lagta hai, bass itna Maan lijiye (Good things take time to develop, just accept that).” Paatal Lok is finally releasing on Amazon Prime Video on January 17.

Jaideep Ahlawat’s career trajectory has been significantly impacted by his portrayal of Hathi Ram in Paatal Lok (2020). The actor says all the jobs he has received in the last five years is because of Hathi Ram. He says, “Whatever I have today, it’s all because of the impact of Hathi Ram. Dhoop se jo takra gaya, dharti pe aa gaya (Someone who has been through a lot has finally found stability.). In a nutshell, I felt accepted. I got the validation, logon ko lagne laga main kaam kar leta hoon on a larger scale. Things only got better for me after Paatal Lok.”

With Paatal Lok 2 on the horizon, Ahlawat is also looking forward to his other upcoming projects, including Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, Raj and DK’s Family Man 3 with Manoj Bajpayee, and Hawai Fire. When asked how excited he is for this impressive line-up, he chuckles and says, “Occupied!” He adds, “Not just mental space, physical space, psychological space, whatever space you say, it is too much occupied. But I am happy also because that’s what you always wanted. You wanted to be a part of different stories, play different characters. After Ikkis, I have Hisaab with Vipul Shah and Shefali ma’am again (after Three of Us). Then there is a beautiful film called Hawai Fire. I hope that also comes out this year.”

However, Jaideep Ahlawat is hardly getting time to relax now, though he says he has grown accustomed to being busy with good work. “Iski aadat pad gayi hai ab (I am getting used to it). I am thankful, very grateful to the people who had faith in me that they come to me with such beautiful roles and I get a chance to portray them on screen. I think it’s going to be a good year.”

When asked about the difference between his current phase and the struggling days, Ahlawat says, “Maybe I don’t think about it. Whenever I read a story, I feel nice that I’ll get an opportunity to experiment. Shayed apne aap ko surprise karne ka mauka mil jaayega (I look forward to opportunities to surprise myself). It is a great criteria… Or give me so much money that I don’t think about all these things and jo bhi hai dekha jaayega (Whatever will be, will be). Somehow, that balance is maintained. I don’t think one can consciously work towards making this balance. It just happens. I can’t plan too much in this direction. If you go with the flow, it would be better. You’ll feel better about your work and live in peace. Whereas if you plan everything, you ought to go wrong somewhere.”