The eagerly anticipated series ‘Scam 2003 – The Telgi Story’ is all set to start streaming on the SonyLIV OTT platform from 1st September onwards. Fans of ‘Scam 1992’ and ardent admirers of filmmaker Hansal Mehta are waiting with bated breath for the show. And we all are keeping our fingers crossed for this one. As you know, the series focuses on the much-publicized multi-crore, multi-state 2003 stamp paper scam which was masterminded by Abdul Kareem Telgi.
‘Scam 2003’ features a relatively unknown name Gagan Dev Riar in the lead role. From the show’s trailer and what all is being said about the actor, it looks like he has cracked the part as Abdul Karim Telgi. And if Pratik Gandhi can become an overnight sensation after ‘Scam 1992’, then why can’t Gagan Dev Riar do that? So, that’s not the concern here.
The one thing that is somewhat bothering us is that, unlike ‘Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta Story’, which was directed by Hansal Mehta himself, ‘Scam 2003’ has not been directed by the ‘Aligarh’ helmer. In fact, Hansal Mehta is not the director but the showrunner of ‘Scam 2003’ as per the SonyLIV website.
‘Scam 2003’ has been directed by Tushar Hiranandani, who has previously lent his writing skills for films like ‘Housefull 2’, ‘Double Dhamaal’, and ‘Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge’, etc. besides directing the critically admired biographical drama movie ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ in 2019.
At a brief glance at Tushar Hiranandani’s filmography, you’ll see that he has mainly written for comedy centric films like the ones mentioned above. So, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to hit the bullseye with a serious, real-life-based financial drama like ‘Scam 2003’. Especially the way Hansal Mehta cracked it with ‘Scam 1992’ in such a big and impactful way.
Moreover, some of you might be wondering whether SonyLIV has taken a bold risk, if we can call that, by handing over the directorial reins of such an important show for the OTT platform to a relatively new director instead of Hansal Mehta himself.
Having said that, like we mentioned earlier, Tushar Hiranandani had adeptly directed ‘Saand Ki Aankh’, so there is no doubt about his potential as a director. Moreover, since Hansal Mehta is involved with SonyLIV’s ‘Scam 2003’ as a showrunner, we know the show is in safe hands. So, even if it’s a risk, it looks like it’s a risk worth taking. We hope that Hansal Mehta, Tushar Hiranandani, and the entire team of ‘Scam 2003’ will replicate the splendid success of ‘Scam 1992’. The verdict will be out in just a couple of days.