<p>Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020) dropped when the first euphoria of lockdown had passed and most of us were chafing at home, eager to return to our normal lives. A huge OTT hit, the series made Pratik Gandhi, who played the titular role, a ‘legit’ star. The addictive title song, composed by Achint Thakkar, was used and overused by every male celebrity showing off his cooking and cleaning skills.</p>.<p>Its successor, Scam 2003, borrows the essence of the title music but presents a strangely watered-down version. Unfortunately, this dilution is true of the series too.</p>.<p>The stamp paper scam shook Karnataka, and cast a shadow of doubt on some of its most prominent politicians. Some policemen and journalists were also said to be involved in the heist. Abdul Karim Telgi whose fictionalised biography this is, himself might have said ‘Daring nahi dikha re!’ (Doesn’t look daring.)</p>.<p>The two series have many elements in common — the rags-to-riches-by-crooked- means story, the complicated financial swindling, a good guy gaming an already corrupt system. They also share superb casting and brilliant acting by relatively unknown actors. But the verve of the first screenplay, with its twists and turns, is missing here. Also missing is an emotional connection with Telgi.</p>.<p>However, this is Volume 1 with 5 episodes and Volume 2 is slated for a November release. One hopes the team redeems itself in the second part because Telgi’s story deserves better treatment. Lead actor Gagan Dev Riar’s masterly performance needs to be seen by many more. And it is a pleasure to see singer Talat Aziz acing the acting game.</p>
<p>Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020) dropped when the first euphoria of lockdown had passed and most of us were chafing at home, eager to return to our normal lives. A huge OTT hit, the series made Pratik Gandhi, who played the titular role, a ‘legit’ star. The addictive title song, composed by Achint Thakkar, was used and overused by every male celebrity showing off his cooking and cleaning skills.</p>.<p>Its successor, Scam 2003, borrows the essence of the title music but presents a strangely watered-down version. Unfortunately, this dilution is true of the series too.</p>.<p>The stamp paper scam shook Karnataka, and cast a shadow of doubt on some of its most prominent politicians. Some policemen and journalists were also said to be involved in the heist. Abdul Karim Telgi whose fictionalised biography this is, himself might have said ‘Daring nahi dikha re!’ (Doesn’t look daring.)</p>.<p>The two series have many elements in common — the rags-to-riches-by-crooked- means story, the complicated financial swindling, a good guy gaming an already corrupt system. They also share superb casting and brilliant acting by relatively unknown actors. But the verve of the first screenplay, with its twists and turns, is missing here. Also missing is an emotional connection with Telgi.</p>.<p>However, this is Volume 1 with 5 episodes and Volume 2 is slated for a November release. One hopes the team redeems itself in the second part because Telgi’s story deserves better treatment. Lead actor Gagan Dev Riar’s masterly performance needs to be seen by many more. And it is a pleasure to see singer Talat Aziz acing the acting game.</p>