Amazon Prime Video has had a successful start to 2025 with shows like Paatal Lok and The Mehta Boys receiving praise from both critics and audiences. In an honest conversation with HT, Nikhil Madhok, Head of Original Content India at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, opens up about the nerves surrounding the release of Paatal Lok season 2. (Also read: Jaideep Ahlawat responds to rumors of charging ₹20 crore for Paatal Lok 2: ‘Where’s the money? It’s gone somewhere!’)
Season 2 of Paatal Lok saw Jaideep Ahlawat reprise his role as the determined Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary.
On Surprises, Good and Bad
When asked if he had been surprised by a show or film, Nikhil smiles and admits, “We’ve had both kinds of surprises.” He continues, “We were confident about Call Me Bae, but it broke into pop culture in a way we didn’t expect. It exceeded our expectations. And when we brought Paatal Lok back after a long break, we were nervous. Would the audience still connect with it after 4-4.5 years? Thankfully, the response has been amazing.”
However, not all surprises have been pleasant. “There have been some shows that didn’t perform as expected,” Nikhil says. “I won’t name them, but they happen. However, these failures are great learning experiences. They make you reflect on what went wrong and how to improve. Success is uplifting, but you often learn more from failure.”
On the Ever-Present Anxiety of New Releases
Unlike directors who typically release just a few titles a year, programming heads at streaming platforms oversee multiple releases every week. Nikhil shares that the anxiety remains the same with every new release. “You might think it gets easier with time, but it doesn’t,” he says. “I was up until 5 am when Paatal Lok released. That anxiety never goes away. It’s a sign that the team cares about the show, but it’s tough to manage that pressure every week. Over time, you learn to handle it, but it’s a skill you develop.”
