One IMDB user writes, “This is not Mirzapur. This is dread in slow motion.” The praise is reserved for the world-building—the misty forests, the silent rifles, the long takes where nothing happens, yet everything is threatened. Jaideep Ahlawat’s Hathi Ram Chaudhary returns not as a triumphant hero but as a broken, gasping animal, and reviewers argue that his performance alone warrants a rating above 9. For them, Season 2 is a masterpiece of sustained unease. Yet, scroll past the 10-star adoration, and you find a string of 5s and 6s—unusual for a cult hit. The criticism is pointed. A recurring IMDB complaint is pacing . Where Season 1 exploded with caste violence and raw dialogue, Season 2 is accused of being “arthouse slow.” One reviewer laments, “Four episodes of walking in jungles, then 20 minutes of payoff.”
Another common thread is . Season 2 juggles Naga militants, corrupt politicians, arms dealers, and Hathi Ram’s personal demons. Several IMDB users note that the supporting cast, while talented, feels like a checklist of “prestige TV tropes” rather than organic characters. For some, the show has traded the visceral pain of the first season for a more cerebral, sometimes cold, intellectual exercise. The Verdict: A Fractured 8.5 Looking at the IMDB distribution, Paatal Lok Season 2 is not a crowd-pleaser—it’s a provocation . The 10-star reviews come from viewers who want crime dramas to ask hard questions about the state and the soul. The 5-star reviews come from those who just wanted another hard-boiled chase. paatal lok season 2 review imdb
8.4/10 Brilliant, brave, but burdened by its own weight—watch it not for answers, but for the abyss staring back. One IMDB user writes, “This is not Mirzapur
