Scam 2003 Review
Scam 2003 web series review: which is based on Sanjay Singh’s Telgi Scam: Reporter’s Ki Diary, travels over well-worn ground, yet the characters openly revel in each step they take.
ThefascinatinglifeofstockbrokerHarshadMehta,playedbyPratikGandhi,wasthesubjectofHansalMehta’sfilmFraud(1992).Threeyearslater,MehtawasappointedcreativedirectorofTusharHiranandani’sScam2003TheTelgiStory,basedonasimilarbiographyofAbdulKarimTelgi,amanconvictedoftamperingwithpapertamponsMehtaandTelgiwerepreviouslydescribedastheultimateheroesandunderdogs,motivatedbyadesiretosucceed
IMDB Rating: 7.9
Thepeoplearoundandthebackgroundmusiconlyaddtotheirstubbornnessandtheydon’tstopthere.
Gagan Dev’s persona There are several different names for Telgi, including snake, wise man, and Khota Sikka. He reminds me of Gurukant Desai from Mani Ratnam’s 2007 film Guru; he talks about business and introduces himself with charm and cockiness. For him, there is no such thing as black or white in business; only profit matters. The show’s authors, Karan Vyas and Kiran Yadnyopavit, as well as director Hiranandani, give this regular guy a lot of overly dramatic lines. An example might be: Cash bhi aa jaayega, savings account mein confidence jama karke rakha hoon.
Just like all the other underdog stories about a man who became either a messiah or a villain, the 2003 hoax traverses a family landscape. But the actors who walk it have a ball. It also helped that the spoof series featured actors we mostly didn’t know; they would pass you by in the crowd and you wouldn’t mind knowing unless they showed what they were capable of. Apart from Pratik Gandhi, Gagan Dev also mixes joy and liveliness in his performance and gives us incredible masala moments. Masala is not just a hero who punches 50 people and sends them flying, but the ability to chew the scenery and own the flavor of his lines and stories with an apologetic demeanor.
The adjective “cliched” is used in the headline’s description of the program. Writing a cliched story isn’t always a bad thing. You can only put in a story so much tension, but Scam 2003 has enough conviction to claim every tension. And just with the first episode in the franchise, the question “Is he a hero or a villain?” looms big. But in all honesty, who cares as long as he makes you happy? It’s not a scam at all!
