Abhishek on Paatal Lok: Tried to capture his grief and emptiness

Abhishek Banerjee

It is 9 pm when we finally get on a call with Abhishek Banerjee, the man everyone's talking about since Pataal Lok dropped online 10 days ago. Breaking down the gruesome scene - where his character breaks open the skulls of three boys - may not be the ideal subject to open an interview with, especially when he has finished his dinner only minutes ago. But it is, after all, the chilling scene that marks the inception of Hathoda Tyagi, a character that goes on to haunt you for the remaining six episodes.

"A scene like that can't be easy for any actor," he begins with a laugh, before adding, "But because we know we are acting, we are able to bring in that extra gruesomeness to the sequence. I don't believe that the world can be so cruel, but then, we have heard stories of spine-chilling murders where a husband chopped his wife's body into pieces and threw them into a tandoor. Sudip [Sharma, creator] wanted to show the reality, but the intention was to make it graphic so that people are dissuaded from committing crimes."

Banerjee, counted among the top casting directors of the industry, isn't a trained actor. Yet, his portrayal of the ruthless hired killer has earned a nod of approval from even the sharpest critics. "You learn acting by being in casting rooms. Over the past 10-15 years, as a casting director, I have been practising acting every day when I am giving cues to actors or explaining what the script expects of them. But nothing prepares you to play Hathoda Tyagi. This is a character which demands your all."

Where the audience and the industry alike should be welcoming a talent like him with open arms, Banerjee has been fielding criticism for facing the camera despite being a casting director. His transition from behind the camera to in front of it became a talking point among detractors, compelling filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Hansal Mehta to leap to his defence. Banerjee is unfazed by the noise surrounding his graduation to acting. "It's the director's call who he chooses to put in front of the camera. There are many in the industry who multi-task. There are lyricists and musicians who are actors too. Why is this a problem?"

In telling the story of four criminals, Paatal Lok - which is inspired by former Tehelka editor-in-chief and rape-accused Tarun Tejpal's book, The Story of my Assassins - deftly shows how society plays a role in creating the villains. Was it a conscious move to humanise the criminals? "Aren't all criminals humans, created by the same society? We wanted to give the world a peek into the psyche of criminals. Tyagi's persona is determined by his social background. This is the journey of a man who is wronged, rejected, and has no one but dogs to give him solace. I tried to capture his grief and emptiness. It's important to understand that he is not angry, but disappointed with the system."

Even as it has been widely applauded, a grievance against the show is that it normalises violence. Banerjee laughs, before retorting. "My only response to those saying this is, will you please read the newspapers? If you feel uncomfortable about the visual depiction of what happens in our own country, remember that's how unaware and distanced you are from the real world."

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