Web Series Review: Scoop : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

SCOOP is the story of a journalist wrongly accused of murder. The year is 2011. Jagruti Pathak (Karishma V Tannaa) is the Deputy Bureau Chief at Eastern Age newspaper. Over the years, she has made top connections with cops, particularly JCP Harshvardhan Shroff (Harman Baweja). As a result, she is able to often get exclusive newsbreaks which are often printed on the front page. Imran Siddiqui (Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub), the Editor-In-Chief, is like her mentor and he believes in ethical journalism. He bats and supports her, which leads to jealousy among certain colleagues, particularly Pushkar (Tanmay Dhanania) and Deepa Chandra (Inayat Sood). Jagruti meanwhile competes with Jaideb Sen (Prosenjit Chatterjee) of NewsDay. His sources are stronger and he has also done several newsbreaks, some of which made many powerful people uncomfortable. Jagruti and Jaideb had once fought over a source, which led Jagruti to message him ‘Don’t act too smart’. Talking of Jagruti’s family life, she lives with her father (Sanat Vyas), mother (Gopi Desai) and brother (Deven Bhojani). Her son Neil (Vishal Thakkar) is away in a boarding school in Panchgani. She is estranged from her husband, Darshan Pathak. Guilty of not being able to spend a lot of time with her family, Jagruti plans a trip to Kashmir. While she is away, on June 11, 2011, Jaideb Sen is murdered by two assailants on a bike. His death shakes the media and also the government. Harshvardhan Shroff, ACP Devrat (Tikam Joshi) and others begin the investigation. Soon, it is reported that Chota Rajan is responsible for the murder of Jaideb and that he was instigated to do so by a female reporter. As more details come in from the police, the journalists realize that it could be Jagruti that Chota Rajan is hinting at. Soon, Jagruti is arrested, that too under stringent charges. Her lawyer, Bhavesh Desai tries his best but Jagruti fails to get bail. She has no choice but to spend her time in jail despite being innocent. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

Web Series Review: Scoop

SCOOP is inspired by the book ‘Behind Bars In Byculla: My Days In Prison’ by Jigna Vora. Mirat Trivedi and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul’s story is a shocker and moreover, not many people are aware of this episode. Mirat Trivedi and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Anu Singh Choudhary) is topnotch. The script is detailed, well-researched and most importantly, simple to follow even though a few minor aspects might go over the head. Karan Vyas’ dialogues are hard-hitting and sharp.

Hansal Mehta’s direction is first rate. In his legendary show SCAM 1992 [2020], he gave some glimpses into how media functions. Here, he goes one step ahead and totally delves into this world. The way he has depicted it is fascinating and even amusing, especially how journalists get exclusive stories from cops and sometimes, even the underworld. But Hansal doesn’t stop here and touches upon an astonishing topic that is sure to stir up discussions. At the same time, he keeps the focus on the principal plot of Jagruti Pathak and her long, delayed fight for justice. This bit is quite gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, especially Jagruti’s condition in prison while her family, too, struggles to keep hope.

On the flipside, though the makers have tried their best to keep things easy for viewers to comprehend, it still gets confusing as there are so many characters in the show. The makers don’t give a logical conclusion to some of the tracks. One won’t mind this for a few characters but for the character of the ailing cop, one would have loved to know what happened to him later on. Lastly, the last two episodes are more than an hour long and are a bit slow and dragging.

SCOOP’s first episode is used to build up and establish the characters and their way of working. Jaideb Sen’s introduction scene is intriguing and so is the scene where he warns Jagruti. A few scenes that stand out are Jagruti’s meeting with Samson, Jagruti unexpectedly getting an interview with Chota Rajan, Jaidep’s murder and Jagruti whining in Kashmir. The arrest of Jagruti leaves an impact. Her prison scenes are moving and the way she builds a bond with Sadhavi Ma (Shikha Talsania) is worth watching. In the final episode, the courtroom scenes involving Chintan Vashisht (Jaimini Pathak) are powerful. The scene where Jagruti meets her son in the hospital is lovely. The show ends on a great note.

Speaking of performances, Karishma V Tannaa is terrific. This is an author-backed role and has come out with flying colours. She is sure to benefit from this show. Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub is quite likeable, as expected. His character will be highly talked about. The same goes for Shrirang Godbole (Dalvi; senior reporter). Harman Baweja is a surprise and gives a bravura performance. It’s bewildering why he’s mentioned under ‘Special appearance’ as he has a lengthy role. Prosenjit Chatterjee leaves a mark in a cameo. Sanat Vyas, Deven Bhojani and Vishal Thakkar are adorable. Tanmay Dhanania and Inayat Sood are decent. Tikam Joshi, Ravi Mahashabde (Jagtap) and Darhan Dave (ATS officer Ramesh Malik) are fine. Malhar Thakkar (Ajitesh Bhatt) is fair but one wishes he had more to do in the show. Ishitta Arun (Nelly; Imran’s wife) and Ira Dubey (Anita; Pushkar’s wife) don’t get much scope. Tannishtha Chatterjee (Leena) is dependable. Kashyap Kapoor (Murad) is lovely. Ninad Kamat (Jagmohan Guha) essays an interesting role and puts up a good act. The actor playing Jaimini Pathak rocks the show. Aalekh Kapoor (Atul; Citi Mirror reporter), Hashim Haider (Samson), Aseem Hattangadi (Sandeep Narvekar), Rambha Ma (Tejaswini Kolhapure), Manasi Rachh (Neha Gupta), Shikha Talsania and the actor playing Usha are fair. Amar Upadhyay (Sumit) is wasted.

SCOOP has only one song, ‘Dhoop Aane Do’ (by Vishal Bhardwaj), and it’s soulful. Achint Thakkar’s background music is exhilarating. The theme song has the SCAM 1992 theme trademark stamp. Pratham Mehta’s cinematography is neat. Tanvi Leena Patil’s production design is realistic. Shivank Kapoor’s costumes are straight out of life. Amitesh Mukherjee’s editing is sharp but a bit dragging in some scenes.

On the whole, SCOOP rests on splendid performances, powerful moments and a shocking plot that is sure to stir up a lot of discussions.

Rating – 3.5 stars

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