Hailing from the Punjabi film industry, actor Jagjeet Sandhu made a confident debut in Bollywood with Anushka Sharma-produced Amazon Prime Video series Paatal Lok. In his role as Tope Singh aka Chaaku, one of the four assassins who plan the murder of prime time journalist Sanjeev Mehra played by Neeraj Kabi, Jagjeet made the toughest of critics sit up and take notice of his craft. With Anurag Kashyap, his idol calling him to appreciate his work, Jagjeet is undoubtedly on cloud nine. 

Now, as Paatal Lok is winning hearts all across the country and has emerged as the number one web series, Jagjeet got in an exclusive interview with PeepingMoon. Expressing his desire to work with Anurag Kashyap to agreeing that 'paatal lok' does exist on earth, the actor candid like never before.

Excerpts from the interview

From Punjab to Mumbai, how was the entire process of bagging this role in Paatal Lok?

The team of Paatal Lok was looking out for an actor from Punjab so that he has a command on his ascent and is aware of the overall behaviour of people belonging to the region. When they called in for an audience, I went through the round and then came to Mumbai.

What defines the term Paatal Lok for you?

Talking about the definition in real life, I feel maximum people in the country are living in paatal lok. If you see the current lockdown scenario is to be observed, then people who hail from good families are celebrating festivals. They are living in swarg lok. Migrants who are walking kilometers together to reach their villages are experiencing paatal lok.

Paatal Lok’s genre is being compared to Crime Patrol and Saavdhan India. How fair is this comparison?

There can’t be any comparison between crime thrillers on television and Paatal Lok. The creator of the show Sudip Sharma has spent 2-3 years writing the series and not a single episode of any crime thriller takes this long. Be it the production level or any other technical aspect, Paatal Lok is made on a higher and nuanced level.

Do you feel the Indian audience is now ready to accept dark and hard-hitting shows?

Yes, definitely. When the audience can watch shows like Narcos and Money Heist, they can now feel proud that the content of the global standard is being made in their own country. With time and understanding, they are getting accustomed to real, ground-level tales on the screen.

Your character has interesting names- Chaaku and Tope. 

The name was given by Sudip Sharma sir. I found both the names (Tope Singh and Chaaku) pretty interesting. Such names are generally found in villages in Punjab.

With major theatrical releases opting for web opening, do you believe the OTT is the new way of viewing visual content?

Partly yes. If today’s scenario is to be taken into consideration then I strongly feel that it is a part of the future. But this is not a permanent set-up. The true essence of watching a film lies in the theatre. It provides much-needed escapism from the mundane life. OTT can never take its place.  

Do you consider Paatal Lok to be your breakthrough show?

There is no doubt that Paatal Lok is my breakthrough show. I consider this to be the best possible way to step into Bollywood. Although I was known in Punjab, people all across the country are noticing me and my character. The best moment for me was when Anurag Kashyap sir called me to acknowledge my work.

Any particular director and actor you would like to work in a Bollywood film?

I am a big fan of Anurag Kashyap sir and would love to work with him in the future. Apart from him, I am looking forward to working with mavericks like Tigmanshu Dhulia and Shoojit Sircar. Alia Bhatt is the only actress I want to work with as of now.