Web Series: Scoop
Rating: 3.5/5
Cast: Karishma Tanna, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Tejasvini Kolhapure, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Inayat Sood and Jaimini Pathak
Director: Hansal Mehta
Streaming On: Netflix
Release Date: 2nd June, 2023
Story: Jagruti Pathak (Karishma Tanna) is the deputy bureau chief of the newspaper, The Eastern Age. She is a rising star in the male-dominated crime reporting field, led by her mentor and editor-in-chief Imran Siddiqui (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub). Things turn ugly when another senior journalist and the chief correspondent, Jaideb Sen (Prosenjit Chatterjee), ends up being killed as he pays the price for being great in his work. What follows is the obscure Mumbai police investigation into Pathak which is directed by Harshvardhan Shroff (Harman Baweja), which makes her a scapegoat for the murder of Sen. What happened to Jagruti Pathak? Did she prove her innocence? What circumstances did she go through in the process? Answers to these questions form the rest of the story.
Analysis: The above-mentioned story is just a synopsis of the Web Series Scoop made by Hansal Mehta. Based on journalist Jigna Vora’s 2019 memoir ‘Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison,’ Scoop retells the true story of the murder of renowned journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, and the subsequent arrest of Vora. Scoop shows us the world of investigative journalism and its surroundings. Although it starts off on a regular note, the narrative quickly makes us believe that this is not a regular breaking news drama. It dwells into the more profound issues like how the higher level connections of journalists help their careers go and raise their image. At the same time, when things do not go right, the same connections can destroy not only their careers but also their lives. The show has a lot of happenings and countless characters which are strikingly impactful because of excellent performances and effective dialogues.
Scoop makes most of it right. Just as it is, Scam 1992 did. There are no noisy newscasters, no gleaned reporters or useless swearing. The show does not dramatize the events too much and sticks to the facts, gives a precise image of the print media, warts and all, and, most importantly, tugs at the heart without being melodramatic. It is the best technique while narrating a series of tricky and breathtaking incidents. Spanning six episodes, Scoop hardly allows the audiences to get sidelined with its intriguing taking of the proceedings. The final episode is the best part, where the court argument scene and the inner struggle of Jagruti’s character are shown perfectly.
Performances: Karishma Tanna has got the best character in her career and she makes full use of it. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub was terrific while Harman Baweja, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Inayat Sood, Jaimini Pathak and all others were perfect in their roles.
Plus Points:
- Performances
- Writing
- Direction
- Final Episode
Minus Points:
- Too much information in some scenes
- Awkward moments in Jail Episodes
Verdict: Scoop is compelling, inspiring work right from the start to its chilling final credits. Such strong impact the series will have it on the viewers thanks to the impeccable performance and top notch writing and direction. It is a must watch show for sure.
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