JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
SCOOP Review: Hansal Mehta delivers an absolute winner; Depicts the reality of chasing the truth
Planning to watch Hansal Mehta's Scoop? Here's the Pinkvilla review of this investigative thriller starring Karishma Tanna and Zeeshan Ayyub. Read details
Name: Scoop
Director: Hansal Mehta
Cast: Karishma Tanna
Plot:
After Scam 1992, Hansal Mehta comes up with another tale set against the backdrop of incidents that shook the entire media fraternity. Scoop follows the real-life story of Jigna Vora, who was accused of the murder of a fellow reporter, Jyotimoy Dey in June 2011. It uncovers the story of what happened behind the scenes and also tries to shed some light on the nexus between the D-Company, Chotta Rajan, Mumbai Police, and the operation of the media. Having taken some creative liberties, the tale has been fictionalized with characters getting new names, though the backdrop remains real.
What works?
The core plot of Scoop has all the elements to create intrigue. Right from the first frame, Hansal Mehta and his team of writers, Mrunmayee Lagoo and Mirat Trivedi, grip us into the narrative. Despite every episode being an hour long, it doesn’t give a minute of a breather as the screenplay is racy and fast-paced. The emotional undertones are also well presented and Hansal creates an ambiance that gets you to root for the protagonist, Jagruti Pathak (Karishma Tanna). After a while, there’s content that makes you feel for the happenings around the protagonist and question the system that’s operating in society.
The best moments of the series are in the pilot episode as also the finale. It doesn’t take time for Hansal to build the world of crime journalism in the first episode, which slowly takes a turn by slipping into the dark secrets with every passing episode. There are a couple of sequences in the jail, which bring out tears, whereas the nexus of gangsters, cops, and the entire case keeps you on the edge of your seat. Scoop has the right blend of thrill with drama and emotion.
Another major plus point for Scoop lies in the fact that the dialogues are devoid of abuses – this is a rare thing to happen on the digital world, where abuses are used to sensationalize the content. The series also has a closure, rather than keeping things open-ended. The casting is pitch perfect – right from Karishma Tanna to Harman Baweja, Zeeshan Ayyub, Deven Bhojani, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Sanat Vyas among others. The filmmaker also covers aspects like gender bias, human hypocrisy, and the hunger for power in a subtle way through the narrative.
What doesn’t work?
The sequences in the jail are slightly dark and stretched, which could be a tough watch for the family audience. While the intent to showcase them is to show what all a journalist had to go through for standing by the truth, the in-jail sequences could have been edited for a bigger impact.
Performances
Karishma Tanna is a revelation in Scoop – and this can easily be termed her career-best act. Hansal extracts varied emotions from Tanna, who plays the role of Jagruti Pathak. Scoop could change the tides for her as an actress as the series will speak volumes about her ability to deliver a credible performance. She lives the character of Jagruti Pathak and succeeds in evoking the right emotions for the character towards the finale. Watch out for the sequence which requires her to go through the security check before entering the jail – she is outstanding in that. Zeeshan Ayyub as Imran lends a rock-solid support in the story. His character doesn’t just bring in a new arc to the screenplay but also elevates the impact of several confrontational scenes. His face-off with a fellow colleague towards the climax is among the major highlights of Scoop. Deven Bhojani gets to play a layered character being the pillar of support for the family and he excels with flying colors. Sanat Vyas succeeds in playing the protective yet strong-headed grandfather to the protagonist. Harman Baweja as Shroff again delivers what could be termed the best of his career. His character has complex emotional shades, and he does well to play the role. The rest of the ensemble cast also do a good job in their respective roles.
Verdict:
Hansal Mehta’s Scoop is an absolute winner as the filmmaker manages to marry thrill with drama and emotions. The 6-episode series has enough meat to keep us engaged through the narrative and acts as an eye-opener in many ways and depicts the reality of chasing the truth. This is a must-watch this weekend in the digital space.
Latest Articles
