Paatal Lok actor Jaideep Ahlawat: ‘When you become famous, suddenly life becomes easy’

Jaideep Ahlawat. Pics/Instagram

Fans of Paatal Lok have their eyes pinned on the upcoming second season, but leading man Jaideep Ahlawat doesn't feel the weight of their expectations on his shoulders. After all, reprising the role of Hathiram Chaudhary in the crime thriller was special for Ahlawat, given that working on the show was like returning to familiar territory. "The place that this character has held in my heart has remained the same even after four years. It's like, when a child leaves home for higher studies, his room is locked and left as it is. When he returns, he picks up from where he left off. For me, Hathiram is that character. Within a week of reading the script for season two, I was in sync with the requirement. Also, [it was of help] that there were people around me who understood Hathiram better than I did," he says.

Ahlawat rose to fame playing the role of the cop in Sudip Sharma's Prime Video series that made its debut in 2020. Ever since, he has bagged multiple projects, including An Action Hero (2022), Three of Us (2022), Jaane Jaan (2023), and Maharaj (2024). Ask him what his new-found fame has afforded him, and he says, "You no longer need to stand in a line!" He adds, "There are many small perks I get that are beautiful. If you head somewhere and are recognised, people treat you with respect. Suddenly, life becomes easier. Being popular is also a nice criterion to earn more money."

IN 2025, the actor has several projects, including The Family Man season three, Jewel Thief, Hisaab, and Ikkis, in the pipeline. The last one on this list, a Sriram Raghavan-directed film, has him share the screen with the "amazing" Dharmendra. "One of the reasons I said yes to that film was to work with him, and to be able to tell the next generation that I worked with Dharam paaji. I want to say this line to someone for the next 20 years," he signs off.