CAST: Karishma Tanna, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Harman Baweja, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Deven Bhojani
DIRECTOR: Hansal Mehta
On June 11th, 2011, Jyotirmoy Dey, a reporter for Mid-Day, was tragically murdered in Hiranandani, Powai. At the time, the perpetrators of the crime remained unidentified, despite witnesses present at the scene.
One of the individuals implicated in the case was Jigna Vora, also known as Jagruti Pathak in the novel Scoop. Vora worked as the deputy bureau chief and journalist for the newspaper Asian Age. On November 25th of that same year, she was apprehended by Mumbai authorities at the age of 37 as part of the ongoing investigation.
As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that the murder had been orchestrated by members of a gang led by Chhota Rajan. Vora was charged with allegedly providing Rajan with sensitive information about Dey, including his home address and other personal details.
In February 2012, the authorities reportedly found “circumstantial evidence” against Vora, leading to the filing of a charge sheet. It was discovered that Vora and Rajan had been in contact via phone calls, which were initially believed to be related to an interview. However, Rajan later claimed that Vora had expressed a desire to see Dey killed due to a supposed professional rivalry between them, a claim that has since been disputed.
Moving forward to 2016, both Vora and Rajan were charged, and the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s premier investigating agency. After several years, in May 2018, Vora was acquitted by a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. The court deemed that Vora’s provision of personal information, including Dey’s motorcycle registration number, was not sufficient grounds for her conviction.
Based on Jigna Vora’s book, Hansal Mehta brings to life a very well-made six-episode series. The story establishes Jagruti’s career credentials, tenacity, and utmost focus on getting her story right. The dynamics with other journalists and her sense of story hook the audience at the get-go.
The story establishes the Mumbai underworld-cops nexus through reporting based on real-life events. As the cops need to come up with a cover to hide the apparent ties, Jagruti gets embroiled in a cover-up, where based on flimsy grounds the police file a case against her under an overreaching MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) trying to establish that she not only gave to an underworld Don – Chotta Rajan the personal details of a killed journalist but also had organized crime links.
The cops take over six months to file a charge sheet while they hold her in custody without charging her. She suffers in prison not only because of the humiliation caused due to the fabricated charges but also the conspiratorial stories published and reported about her.
As Jigna states later in the story wrap, she has forgiven the people who took her through it, but she may never be able to forget the experience. Not only was she blamed and shamed but her ten-year-old son and her family underwent the traumatic experience with her too.
Karishma Tanna delivers an excellent performance. Mohd Zeeshan Ayuub is perfectly cast and he delivers a measured, balanced Imran.
The series is just as brilliant as Mehta’s Scam 1990 was. The direction is impeccable and there is not even one scene that you wish was not there. The narrative is terse and keeps the audience engaged. The cinematography, camera work, and ambiance of the frame are brilliant.
And if that was Pratik Gandhi in the last episode, we have a hat tip for the Director. No spoilers from us though.
Hansal Mehta has a talent for telling very engaging stories. Achint’s ( Scam 1990) series score is another sixer out of the park and we cannot get it out of our head.
Streams on Netflix and is a must-watch for that chill time.
