Jaideep Ahlawat: The success party of Paatal Lok was very weird

Jaideep Ahlawat has been acting in Hindi films for the last ten years His first glimpse was seen in Priyadarshans Khatta Meetha where he played the antagonist If Anurag Kashyaps gangsterdrama Gangs of Wasseypur confirmed his position in the Hindi film industry his recent breakout character in Paatal Lok further cemented itPlaying the role of Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary a man struggling with personal demons and professional struggles Ahlawat nailed the nuances of his character diving deep into a complex part and giving a personal and vulnerable portrait of an ordinary man And in an exclusive interview with middaycom he talked about the success of Paatal Lok and how life has been post the staggering response Watch the full interviewThe first question was whether he anticipated the response He said I didnt expect to see this kind of response but knew that people would appreciate the story if it reached them properly We had that kind of faith in our writing and story But the love that we all have been getting it feels unreal He has been appreciated for his performances every time but this time he played a lead character so has he finally get his dueThis is what he says Well yes writers and directors now have faith that stories can be written around Jaideep Ahlawat Hathiram is a good man but a complex character What was it that attracted him the most towards this role I think there are not too many grey shades to his character I never did such a character before because of my looks my body height and everything My previous roles have been very dominating and are sure about what they are doing But Hathiram is very vulnerable he doesnt know what to do and how to do it Ahlawat saysHe adds Hes just waiting for the right time and the right moment where his life and his relationships can become better This is the thing that is very unique in Hathiram that he feels every emotion of human being When you go through all this you feel enriched as an actor Does he think that most of the directors think of negative roles for him since he has often played them He says I did When you start your career as a negative lead this is human nature that people ask you to do the same stuff over and over again if youre good at it It starts from our homeHe continues If someone at home makes good tea everyone wants him or her to make it every day But it was good to see that the myth was broken with some of my positive characters And suddenly Paatal Lok comes and people see you as an actor with very different shades emotions and situations There are a lot of challenging scenes in Paatal Lok especially where his character has to chase criminals and Ahlawat even gained weight for thatHe states There was a practical joke between Shoojit Sircar and our director that make him gain weight and then make him run So they asked me to put on and then you get trapped in those chase sequences But I knew this would happen mentally at least I was prepared Physical it was tiring also because Chitrakoot was very hot and we all used to get drained Even in terms of story Chitrakoot has the most hostile conditions So the action there was tough and they drained usSince Ahlawat and Hathiram both hail from Haryana was it easier for him to get hold of things Look what he says Definitely If you hail from a place where your character belongs as well it helps you because you know them in and out We have merely used the Haryanvi language only where it was needed and required My character speaks the language only hes at the peak of his emotions So whatever comes out comes out in his native language So that was easyAnd did he see any cop movies or cop dramas for his inspiration No not at all Because the character is so beautifully written on paper that you cannot pick any direct influence for it thats what I feel And I didnt feel the need to watch anything Indian or international I just read and read and read the script over and over again he quips So whos his favourite onscreen cop He answers Om Puri Ji from Ardh Satya Manoj Bajpayee was fantastic in Shool To be honest I really like Singham its a very entertaining film and I loved that character Bachchan Saab Amitabh Bachchan from Zanjeer is our alltime favouriteThere are so many characters that stay with the audiences long after the film is over WillHathiram Chaudhary be that character Ahlawat says I hope so I definitely hope so Ill be very happy if people keep mentioning it The show has been praised by a lot of people but the story is also being perceived differently by people everywhere Is the show promoting violence as stated by a section of the audience The actor states The writing is brilliant and it helps the actors when the writing is so dense and detailed When their behaviour is written so minutely So Sudip sir Sudip Sharma will be able to answer this better For me its a fictional piece of work a fictional character I approach all my characters with honestyHe continues In anything the receiver is very important If the receiver is wrong hell pick up the wrong thing And what was the most difficult scene he had in Paatal Lok Emotionally theres a scene with Ansari that was very challenging theres a scene with Sanjeev Mehra in the end which was also very emotionally challenging The scene where Gwala Gujjar points a gun towards him is also very interesting because youre emotionally and physically drained and yet youre confident So that was again a difficult scene mentally Even physically that scene was so difficult to shootHe continues All the running scenes scenes of being beaten up were very difficult Once he goes back home do these scenes play in his mind He says Definitely they are always there Its not like this happens when you go back home they are always there throughout 247 Im sure this happens with everyone But these scenes are there even if you have a break for two days There are some actors who get a break for seven days so even during that time they are always thereApart from Hathiram Chaudhary who was his favourite character from the show I have many but personally I feel Hathoda and Sara In the end we see Hathodas love for the dogs and how Hathiram gives a dog an icecream Talking about these sequences Ahlawat says the makers have worked with a lot of layering His perspective of him loving dogs has not been shown in the show Hes not afraid of dogs and dogs are not afraid of him So definitely hes a man who can love dogsHe adds But when he understands the importance of a dog he sees it in a very different way because he knows something related to that animal All these dialogues and punchlines have been trending on social media so which is his favourite All credit goes to Sudip sir and the team of writers I have many Hathiram himself has so many punchlines When I read the character of Hathiram his opening line was Yeh Duniya Teen Duniyaon Ki Hai I was like wow amazingHe continues There are other lines like when he says to Sanjeev Mehra how he thought he was a big personality but now all his illusions are broken Was Anushka Sharma involved in the production so did anyone interacts with her during the making He says No Im sure she must have taken all the creative decisions in advance She has a fantastic team but there were no personal interactions but definitely we used to get appreciated by their team Karnesh Bhai Karnesh Sharma and the people at Clean Slate Films are amazingHe adds They treat their technicians and actors like family which amazing for an actor because you feel very secure and relaxed and youll give your best And how was the online success party He says It was weird because we all were sitting at home and we never felt like this That was really weird because we all were congratulating each other through our mobile phones I wish we all could meet outsideAnd how has he kept himself busy during this lockdown Paatal Lok has kept me busy for the last one month I asked my father to watch the show and now am trying to accumulate all the love In this last one month Im only getting calls about the show so all I do is try to eat food and sleep Has he been watching any show or series Unorthodox Lucifer which is very interesting and fun And then theres this documentary called Tiger KingWhat will be the first thing hell do once the lockdown ends This is what he says I really want to go home back to my hometown I was planning to go home before the lockdown but suddenly everything happened Now I really want to go home because it has been a while since I met my family I also want to see their reaction The kind of messages Ive been getting I really want to go home and feel the energyCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news