“Why Paatal Lok 2 Made Nikhil Madhok Anxious”

Amazon Prime Video started 2025 strong with hits like Paatal Lok 2 and The Mehta Boys, loved by both critics and audiences. In an interview, Nikhil Madhok, Head of Original Content India at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, shared why Paatal Lok Season 2 made him anxious.

Nikhil admitted he was nervous about bringing back Paatal Lok after a long break of about 4-4.5 years. He wondered if viewers would still connect with it like they did with the first season. Thankfully, the response was amazing. He also shared that while some shows like Call Me Bae did better than expected, others didn’t do as well, although he chose not to name them.

He explained that failures teach valuable lessons. When a show doesn’t work, the team looks closely at what went wrong and learns from it. But when a show is successful, they don’t reflect as much because they are busy celebrating and planning for the next season.

The Stress of New Releases

As a programming head, Nikhil oversees new releases almost every week. He revealed that the anxiety never goes away. In fact, he stayed up until 5 am when Paatal Lok 2 was released. He said maintaining balance is a skill you learn over time, especially when there’s a new show or movie every Friday for the whole year.