The highly talented actor Jaideep Ahlawat celebrates his birthday today, February 8. It falls nearly 20 days after Paatal Lok Season 2 dropped on Amazon Prime Video and got praise from all quarters. The actor couldn’t properly enjoy its success as he lost his father on January 13, five days before Paatal Lok Season 2’s release. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Jaideep Ahlawat spoke about it and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Jaideep Ahlawat BREAKS silence on reports of being paid Rs. 20 crores for Paatal Lok Season 2; talks about his birthday plans and losing his father around the release of Season 2: “It was an awkward situation; I got 2 types of calls…”
Sorry to know about your loss. What were you going through last month? On one hand, your father passed away and on the other hand, the show was getting an incredible response…
It was an awkward situation and I was not able to fully focus on Paatal Lok Season 2’s response at that time. It was genuinely difficult. I got two types of calls. One was from people who called to express sadness over my loss. Then there were those who didn’t know (about my father’s demise) and genuinely called just to congratulate me on the success.
Later on, when you focused on the feedback to Paatal Lok Season 2, did you feel happy to see that there has not been a single negative review? Also, unlike last time, the show didn’t suffer any controversies…
The makers didn’t purposely start a controversy during the first season. As you know, kuch bhi ho sakta hai. But this time, it’s heartening that the story reached the people in the way we intended and they loved it. I personally feel that season 2 was in a much more difficult space as things were more complicated. Thankfully, it reached out to them in the correct manner.
The scene where your character Hathi Ram talks to Ansari (Ishwak Singh) after finding out that he’s gay is dramatic and also heartening. Since Hathi Ram had a conservative upbringing, I feared how he’d react but the way he spoke to Ansari won many hearts…
Yes, that particular scene was very well received. If you ask me, I don’t think Hathi Ram would have reacted in any other way. I was sure ki Hathi Ram aise hi react karega, jaise usne kiya. It was a very interesting and beautiful scene to shoot. That was the last time Hathi Ram and Ansari were together.
Yes, and therefore, it broke our hearts to see so many people dying in this season 2, including the newer characters with whom we had shared a bond…
Yes, the challenges were way higher. It’s very personal this time for Hathi Ram.
Was Paatal Lok Season 2 the first film/show to be shot in Nagaland? How was the experience?
Yes, it was the first ever shoot which happened in Nagaland. Initially, you do have doubts about how you’ll get local help and how the people would react. After all, we required local actors and extras for crowd scenes. The production and direction team faced a bigger challenge to set up things, find places, secure permissions etc. By the time I was taken to Nagaland, all these things were sorted. But that’s half of the battle won. The other challenge is to shoot, especially knowing that no one has ever shot there before. Thankfully, it was amazing and we smoothly shot there for 1 ½ months without any hiccups.
As per reports, while you were offered Rs. 40 lakhs for Season 1, you were paid a whopping Rs. 20 crores for Paatal Lok Season 2…
(Laughs) It’s a rumour. I wonder where it all started from, who wrote it and why. I have no idea.
But you must have been paid much higher in Season 2 than in Season 1…
Absolutely, the fees were much higher. As time passes, your fees increase. The shoot started 2 ½ years after the first season.
What are your plans for your birthday?
I have no plans. I’ll be at home.
That’s understandable considering your loss. But how do you usually celebrate your birthdays and what were the celebrations like when you were a child?
In my childhood, my family used to prepare kheer and halwa for me. We got introduced to cakes much later in our lives. Even today, that’s how we celebrate at home. But now, friends and loved ones meet me. Ussi bahane unke saath get-together ho jaata hai. Sometimes, we go out of the city to have a gala time. But it depends on my shooting schedules.
Also Read: Actor Abhishek Banerjee faces identity crisis over name mix-up with writer friend for Paatal Lok Season 2; says, “There are two Abhishek Banerjees in Bollywood—one writes, the other acts”
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