With the return of the second season of the much-awaited series Paatal Lok, director Avinash Arun talks about his relationship with actor Jaideep Ahlawat. In an exclusive conversation with India Today Digital, Arun revealed that he had always envisioned his close friend Jaideep as the protagonist Haathi Ram Chaudhary in the series.

Tracing their journey together in 2006 when Arun met Jaideep while shooting for a Diploma film, the director recalled his fond memories with him, the director shared how even before the production of Paatal Lok had started , the producers saw Jaideep as the ideal choice for Hathi Ram.

Reflecting on Jaideep’s growth as an actor, Avinash said, “The first time I worked with him professionally was on a film directed by Prashant Nayak in Mumbai. I was amazed to see him on the set – he had completely changed. This is even before Paatal Lok. He was also in Tryst. I remember during the shooting of Tryst, Sudeep Sharma called me for Paatal Lok, I read the script and immediately said yes. Interestingly, even before the production started, Sudeep had told me that he only wanted Jaideep for the role of Hathi Ram Chaudhary. There was no other option. I was very excited because Jaideep is a friend, and I was thrilled to see him playing such an important role.”

He also talked about his relationship with Jaideep and said, “I joined him in 2006 when he was working on a Diploma film and he was a year senior to me. Still, he was cool, calm and a bit of a joker. You’d barely notice his presence – he was so understated. We used to organize fun satsang sessions at night. These were not ragging sessions but informal gatherings where we talked and laughed a lot. With time, I saw him playing different roles.”

Working on the longer format was something Arun had not done before. He opens up about his remarkable journey creating long-form content in an ever-evolving industry.

Reflecting on the challenges and learning curve of making Paatal Lok, the director said, “It was the first time in Season 1, I was working on long-form content, as showmaking had just started at that time. I wasn’t entirely sure how things worked, so everyone learned on the job. Sudeep (Sharma) also made a show for the first time. He spent almost four years bringing it to life, from writing to shooting to post-production. This season has taken the same amount of time,” he told us.

Additionally, Arun discussed the difficulties of shooting in challenging conditions, including the harsh winter months. “The challenges are largely the same. You develop a different relationship with time while shooting because every day, you have to complete 5-6 pages within a limited time. This time, we are shooting during the extreme winter. And daylight was limited to just 9.5 hours. Everything had to be packed into that window.”

Despite these obstacles, he credits the show’s success for fostering creative ambition. “Budgets were also very structured, with little room for contingencies. You’d think the success of the first season would change this, but with success comes ambition. I guess budgets are never enough, but a In a way, it’s good because it promotes creativity.”

Paatal Lok Season 2 is set to release on January 17 on Prime Video.