EXCLUSIVE: Director Hansal Mehta reveals why he chose Karishma Tanna to play the protagonist in Scoop

Hansal Mehta's new Netflix show Scoop, starring Karishma Tanna in a titular role, is garnering rave reviews from critics and general audience.

By Rishil Jogani

Published on Jun 07, 2023 | 09:33 PM IST | 479K

Hansal Mehta reveals that he saw a hustle in Karishma Tanna and that she wanted to prove herself (Hansal Mehta and Karishma Tanna Instagram)

Hansal Mehta is one of the finest directors India has ever produced. With films like Shahid, Aligarh, Citylights and shows like Scam 1992, he has proven why he is one of the most acclaimed directors in the country. Post the success of his latest release Scoop, the director graced Pinkvilla with an interview of his where he talked about his new show, his casting decisions, his inclination towards the long format, his love for the action genre and more.

Hansal Mehta Reveals The Process Behind Selecting Karishma Tanna To Play A Titular Role In His Show Scoop

In an exclusive Pinkvilla interview with Himesh Mankad, Director Hansal Mehta revealed the reason why he cast Karishma Tanna to play the role of Jagruti in his new series Scoop. He said, "Karishma auditioned like a lot of people did. 20 - 25 girls auditioned for the part. Some of them were striking. I mean I think more than 100 of them auditioned and I got a list of 20 from Mukesh. So I was going through all of them. I saw Karishma's audition and called Mukesh. Mukesh's response was like, he said, 'Karishma na?.. Karishma Tanna na?' and I said, 'Yes, how do you know?'. He said, 'I just thought so'.

Hansal Mehta Reveals That He Saw A Hustle In Karishma Tanna And The Fact That She Wanted To Prove Herself

Hansal continued talking about what about Karishma Tanna stood out in comparison to others who auditioned for the part. He said, "There was something. She gave the audition and she also messaged me after the audition saying, 'Sir, I gave an audition for your show and I enjoyed it a lot.' I never replied to her. I saw this and told Mukesh that there is a hustle. She wants to prove herself. She is not pretending to be a great actor. She's just desperate to prove to people that, 'I'm an actor. Take me seriously'. There's a desperate hustle. So I found that almost overlapping with the character that she was going to play. Motivations of Jagruti and Karishma almost overlapped. Netflix allowed me to take that liberty like go ahead. The choice of Pratik Gandhi as Harshad Mehta gave me that power to choose correctly and I try to use that power responsibly."

Where To Watch Scoop

Hansal Mehta's acclaimed show Scoop starring Karishma Tanna and Harman Baweja among others is now streaming on Netflix and can be binge-watched as per convenience.

ALSO READ: SCOOP Review: Hansal Mehta delivers an absolute winner; Depicts the reality of chasing the truth