Paatal Lok stirred up the web entertainment industry with its release in 2020. The story, the actors and the execution was much applauded by the audience. The series also marked Anushka Sharma’s production house first digital venture.
Paatal Lok begins with the arrest of four people from different backgrounds, who are charged with plotting the murder of a famous journalist, Sanjeev Mehra (Neeraj Kabi).
Enter, Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat), a washed up cop who seeks to solve a major case for a promotion. He is handed the reigns of investigating the four suspects and does his absolute best to break them for the truth.
He eventually decides to dive into his prisoners’ pasts, unravelling gruesome details about what made them who they are. As his investigation catches steam, he comes across a conspiracy that is much bigger than him or the case.
Here’s the ending of Paatal Lok explained in detail:
Cracking Gwala Gujjar and Hathi Ram Chaudhary’s meeting
Paatal Lok’s nine episode storyline comes full circle with the meeting between Gwala and Hathi Ram Chaudhary. Hathi Ram reveals how Masterji trusted Bajpayee and always supported him, away from the public eye. He further explains the connection of Masterji with Gwala and Vishal Tyagi (Hathoda Tyagi).
He also sheds light on the fact that Gwala Gujjar always wanted to enter politics but couldn’t until Materji was around. But, after Masterji’s death, he contested elections to defeat Bajpayee, while keeping Masterji’s death a secret.
However, things don’t go according to plan and a close associate, Firangi, concedes and reveals Gujjar’s plan to Bajpayee. Fearing that Gujjar will hire Hathoda Tyagi to kill him, he resorts to a plan.
He makes Gujjar concede Tyagi with three other criminals to assassinate the journalist, Sanjeev Mehra and silence the media.
Interestingly, Bajpayee’s plan was to kill Tyagi and let DCP catch hold of the others before they assassinate Mehra.
Things take a turn before DCP could do anything because a media van happens to capture the incident. To avoid complications the commissioner appoints Hathi Ram as the case’s in charge, owing to his incompetence.
When Hathi Ram solves the case, Gwala Gujjar points gun at him and asks, “What Next?” and Hathiram replies, ““I know how this world works. Even if I wanted to do something about this information, what could I?”. He says so because he realises that if he ever reveals the information, he would be putting his family and his life at risk.
As a result, Gujjar spares him and kills Frangi for betraying him. Towards the end, Gujjar and Bajpayee both joined forces.
What happens to Sanjeev Mehra?
Post his meeting with Gwala Gujjar, blood-soaked Hathiram visits Sanjeev Mehra and reveals to him that all his efforts to gain popularity were in vain because anyone could have been on Tyagi’s hitlist.
Ironically, Mehra isn’t happy with this revelation and asks Sara and Hathi Ram to keep this information from the public. It was because Mehra was getting financiers to invest in his channel.
He continues to make false claims about the risks to his life from ISI due to his unapologetically ‘brave’ journalism. Moreover, Hathi Ram gets his job back as a reward for not messing with the politicians.
Hathoda Tyagi’s final stand
Tyagi is devoted to Masterji. But understands that something is not right when he is denied every single chance to get in touch with him. He decides to go back to Chitrakoot and calls off the plan which was laid out for his murder.
It is on his way back that he is caught by the police. While on his way for a court trial, he receives Master’s pendant from Hathi Ram. Putting two and two together, he realises that Masterji is dead.
Concluding that his own life is meaningless now, he puts the gun into his mouth and pulls the trigger, thus fulfilling the foretold prophecy which predicted only he can kill himself.