Quick thoughts on Patal Lok.
It invoked in me similar feelings, thoughts, and fears that Visaaranai did. A system (call it unfair), 'a well-oiled machinery' as is said in that terrific last episode, chugging on, as those unable to survive in it are left to rot by the side.

I'm seeing quite a bit of outrage to what's being dubbed the needless humanisation of the killers in this series. This isn't a dispensable plot point; this is an important objective in this series. And as comfortable as it is to label criminals 'others', realise that they aren't.

They are very much human, and the very best literature and cinema understands this and depicts this with sensitivity. Tyagi feeling sympathetic towards dogs isn't supposed to make you 'excuse' his murdering ways. Murder is still condemnable. The 'dog love' is simply shading.

If you're feeling a bit confused towards him, on account of his love for dogs... If you suddenly find yourself not wishing that he be executed in public, as though he were an insect (like that cockroach that's stomped at the beginning)... Well, congrats. You see complexity.

It means you have become aware that even the most condemnable human out there may have redeeming qualities. Even the most righteous human (like Yudhistira, who's referred to in the series) may have a flaw. This is simply being aware of the human condition.

That last episode, in particular, was riveting. When Chaudhary utters that his truths won't be heeded by the powerful, it left me reeling. Perhaps the biggest victory of Patal Lok (despite overt, even if necessary, messaging) is how almost every angle in it has a real counterpart

The violence isn't romanticised. It invoked fright as it should. The lust isn't used to titillate. It's used to show desire (Mehra's affair), desperation (Chanda), deprivation (Dolly)... It's beautifully used to reveal more about who these people really are.

The punching in this show is of the punching up variety, and that's not a horrible thing at all. It's a series that clearly roots for the underdog. And doesn't throw a blanket of villainy across any community. It wants us to avoid just that.

And some are taking offence over a beautiful dog being called Savitri? A being that's shown to be well taken care of. A being that ends up saving a life. A being that potentially bridges a broken relationship.

I'm glad Patal Lok exists.