I was first attracted to Hathiram's character: Neeraj Kabi on 'Paatal Lok'

Before actor Neeraj Kabi took on the role of a media tycoon who escapes assassination in his latest project "Paatal Lok", he was eyeing the part of Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary after he read about the fascinating journey the character goes through.

It was Jaideep Ahlawat who eventually played the washed out cop who lands the case of a lifetime when four suspects are nabbed in the assassination attempt of prominent journalist, Kabi's Sanjeev Mehra.

Kabi, best known for films "Talvar", "Ship of Theseus", and web series "Sacred Games", said the Amazon Prime Video Original was a "dream project".

"I was waiting for a good show on Amazon and 'Paatal Lok' had all of it -- good script, story, and cast. It joined all the dots beautifully.

"I remember I got attracted to Hathiram's character first. 'Kya kamaal ka character hai ye Hathiram ka, kya likha hai'. I thought 'What a journey he is going to go through.' I was not even looking at my own character," the actor told PTI in an interview.

But then he began reading his "Macbeth-like" character, who rises to power after but at the cost of his personal integrity.

"The writing and the arc were beautiful. The series begins with Sanjeev's downfall. He was once a great hero. He was the poster boy of investigative journalism. Then suddenly, because the TRPs of his channel were down, his boss decides to sack him. He's a slightly broken man who later decides to fight back."
"What I took here was the entire concept of journalism. I read on the country's great journalists in the 1990s and understand their philosophy, mindsets and what made them had that courage."
"People might feel that because now comes another amazing series. Each of these shows has the power to stand on its own. They are magnanimous mountains of work. I don't think they were made to outdo any one."
"That's a wonderful project and a nice role. I'm very happy about it."