Did Amazon US Initially Reject Anushka Sharma's Pataal Lok due to 'Mee Too' Concerns over Tarun Tejpal?

Amazon Prime's much awaited series Pataal Lok is all set to premiere on 15th May and the intriguing trailer of the series has left the fans all excited about it's release. A report in mid-day suggests that the series was in the work since past 5 years and it even faced a hurdle in 2018. 

According to the reports, the series which is based on former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal's book, The Story of my Assassins follows a similar narrative apart from the fact that it is told from the perspective of a cop. As per the reports, the sources suggest that initially Amazon US had rejected the series owing to the 'Me Too' Movement in India. In 2013, Tarun Tejpal was accused of rape by a colleague and he bas been on bail since July 2014. 

However, the source also adds that creator Sudip Sharma and Amazon India had faith in their product and they also reasoned that the book was only the starting point. They had consciously distanced themselves and their offerings from Tejpal and it was a collective decision to develop Neeraj Journalist as a Grey Character, keeping the message of the show in the right place. 

Talking to Mid-day, Sharma refused to comment on how Amazon US initially wanted to Axe the show and he said that he wouldn't be in a position to comment on that. He also mentioned that the book was a small part of it and they took a one line plot from there and the writers explored many different situations. He mentioned that there are several other factors that have been added to the story. They decided to explore the life of a cop and it is not based on a real life person. He also mentioned that Neeraj Kabi's role has nothing to do with Tarun, it's a fictional character. 

"The author of the book was not involved in the development or production of the show," he added. 

Talking about the 2018 incident, Amazon Prime's spokesperson said, "Paatal Lok is loosely inspired by an idea from the book. Creator-writer Sudip Sharma took inspiration from it, and with his team of writers, crafted a nuanced and immersive crime thriller. Tarun Tejpal was not involved in any phase of the development and production of the show. It is the story of an honest cop who unravels a deep nexus of crime. The characters are fictional and not based on any real-life personalities or incidents."