Scam 1992 Web Series Review: Excellent story, direction, performances and hard hitting truth makes this series a riveting watch
Scam 1992 Web Series Rating: 3.5 stars
Just Watched Scam 1992 Web Series on Sony LIV. So let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sharib Hashmi, Ananth Mahadevan, Nikhil Dwivedi, KK Raina, Lalit Parimoo, Rajat Kapoor, Satish Kaushik and Hemant Kher
Director: Hansal Mehta
Release Date: 9th Oct 2020 (On Sony LIV)
Duration: 10 Episodes/ 50 Minutes
Story: This show is based on The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away, a book written by Debashis Basu and Sucheta Dalal. It focused on how Harshad Mehta (Pratik Gandhi) rigged the system in collusion with public sector banks and private financial institutions, leading to losses running into thousands of crores, it shows the rags-to-riches story. Set in 1980’s and 90’s Bombay and follows the life and times of Harshad Mehta – India’s most controversial stockbroker who single-handedly took the stock market to dizzying heights but his financial wrongdoings finally led to his dramatic downfall.
The storyline begins in the early 80s and spans around ten years and series opens with Sucheta Dalal (Shreya Dhanwanthary) getting a tip from a harried SBI official about a ‘ghotala’ involving Rs 500 crore. Both the vastness of the sum, and the twitching anxiety on the man’s (Sharib Hashmi) face sets Dalal and her partner Basu on the trail of the story which blew the lid off the biggest scam of the time, unravelling the unholy nexus between banks, both Indian and foreign, financial institutions, senior functionaries in the government, and powerful godmen.
Living in a cramped one room apartment in Mumbai’s Gujarati dominated suburb of Ghatkopar. But his dreams are far bigger to be contained here and after doing all sorts of odd jobs, Harshad realizes that the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) is his ticket to super success and started as a jobber and was Smart, shrewd and a fast-learner. He soon becomes the Dalaal Street wizard, who knows how to play the market for his own gains and started a consultancy named “Grow More” and with his brother Ashwin mehta (Hemant Kher) and trusted aide Bhushan (Chirag Vohra).
He gets some of the biggest banks involved in his get-quick-reach schemes by bribing his way through corrupt channels and and become Big Bull and Amitabh Bachchan of stock market. As Harshad is fast scaling up, a Times of India journalist Sucheta Dalal is hot on his trail, but getting any evidence against him is a challenge. The story is driven from her perspective as her voice-over regularly narrates the parts where she is not present.
70 criminal cases and 600 civil cases were file against Harsahd Mehta. In a country wrapped in outdated laws and bureaucratic red tape, the boy from a Kandivali chawl made his way to a Marine Drive penthouse, with ‘Risk hai to Ishk hai’ as his mantra. Heused loopholes in an archaic system to his benefit. Neither did he create the loopholes, nor was he the only one using them, but eventually the system won.
Positives
1. Pratik Gandhi and ensemble cast and their superlative performances
2. Direction
3. Background music
4. Story
Negatives
1. How he reached to top is not explained
2. Length of this series
3. Excessive use of technical terms
Durgesh Tiwary’s View :I had watched the trailer and it was very good and planned to watch as always liked realistic concepts but trust me on this it is beyond awesome. Story, cast, direction everything is just superb. This story is a fascinating account of a man who started small, and within an incredibly short period, amassed the kind of staggering fortune most people only dream of.
Despite the length of series and complex subject matter it’s solid writing and direction that make this show an engrossing watch. So go for this one without any doubt. Highly Recommended !!
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