Avinash Arun Dhaware, who has returned to direct the second season of the Sudip Sharma-created "Paatal Lok", says the follow-up is denser than the original show and takes viewers to the "darker lanes of human behaviour".

Dhaware, known for his films such as "Killa", "Three of Us" and series "School of Lies", said the success of the original show, which premiered in the middle of the pandemic in May 2020, came as a surprise to everyone involved.

The director said Sharma had a plot idea when they were done with the first season and it was to be set in Nagaland.

"That's what I was extremely excited about because it’s a completely unexplored territory, culture and politics. It's quite rooted in its culture and current consciousness of that state," Dhaware told PTI in an interview.

"We have gone into darker lanes of human behaviour. People will be surprised and shocked to see certain aspects. I'm very sure that the kind of psychological impact the show will have," he said.

While the first season revolved around Hathiram Chaudhary, a weathered Delhi cop, played by Jaideep Ahlawat, and his junior Imran Ansari who investigated the attempted murder of a high-profile TV journalist.

The second chapter, which premiered on Prime Video on Friday, deals with the duo trying to solve the murder of a prominent Nagaland politician in Delhi.

Dhaware said the writing took a year and the show got delayed in between for various reasons.

They started shooting it in 2022 and finished it by March the next year, Dhaware said, adding that "Paatal Lok" is a serious show and one that keeps its audiences engaged with its gripping story.

"This season will get much better, like it has that rewatching quality to it because there are very few shows that you can watch in repeat screening. I think ‘Paatal Lok’ season two is going to be that, even season one (was that). It's dense, and the way the information is given and character arcs are developed or are unfolded, they're quite unique," he said, crediting the writers.

The return of the beloved characters promises to deepen the narrative as they navigate a new investigation.

Dhaware said his bond with lead star Ahlawat goes all the way back to the Film & Television Institute of India where they both studied.

"His empathy, his command over his craft, his understanding of many things... We go long back, like we worked together and studied in Film Institute...," he said. Produced by Clean Slate Filmz, in association with Eunoia Films, the eight-episode "Paatal Lok 2" also stars Gul Panag, Tillotama Shome, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Jahnu Barua.

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