SCAM 1992 Review: India’s Tryst with the Big Bull!

Directed by Hansal Mehta, SCAM 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story is the new web series released on Sony Liv. Spanning ten episodes of about an hour each, the show promises to be a dramatic web series based on the book, The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away, written by Sucheta Dalal and Debashish Basu.

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SCAM 1992 tells the story of the infamous Harshad Mehta, from the 90s, who was known initially for his prowess in the stock market and later for the biggest financial scam of that time. The storyline begins in the early 80s and spans around ten years. The reason why Harshad Mehta entered the stock market, his learning experience as a jobber on Dalal street, his attempt at running an individual trading account to ultimately becoming a consultant dealing in institutional investments the show goes into every detail of his life. Parallelly, we also see journalist Sucheta Dalal’s rise as a financial journalist and how their paths eventually cross with Mehta and his dubious ways in the market.

The progression of the narrative of SCAM 1992 from Harshad’s early days to the eventual downfall of an aspirational icon is a well-spun screen tale. There are multiple moments in the show where intriguing camera shots are utilized to bring out the intensity required by the pace of the story. Also, some trolley shots add to the suspense of the build of the scam.

More on the positive side of SCAM 1992, the creators also impeccably captured the aura of Bombay in the 90s and 80s. Subsequently, great attention to detail is practiced to ensure the political and the commercial scenario fits in well with the narrative and the time frame set for the story. The little touch of including a character based on the iconic R. K. Laxman is yet another genius stroke from the show’s creators.

We binged watched the show, and up until episode five, you don’t feel like missing anything happening on-screen even for a short while. However, in episodes five and six, the pacing of the narrative collapses, and it is the last two episodes that create a worthy impression on how the investigation of the financial scam is undertaken.

Furthermore, the background score used in the show deserves credit for remarkably setting up the much-needed drama needed at most intense moments in the storyline. Another interesting detail that shines in SCAM 1992 is the old songs set at the end of each episode that aptly and poetically sums up the episodes for the viewers and also gives an idea of what is to come ahead in the story.

Casting for the show has been done meticulously picking some of the stalwarts of the Gujrati theatre community for some of the prominent roles of the show. Veteran actor Satish Kaushik playing the major market player working against the protagonist is a stellar act given his limited screen time.

Another performance that we found powerful and impactful was of Ananth Mahadevan. His character had depth and was offered a lot to play with and being a stellar actor, Mahadevan commands his role remarkably. Shreya Dhanwanthary, as journalist Sucheta Dalal is also one character that stays with you after the show. The urgency she maintains to bring about a change in the existing broken system reflects on-screen, and you get engaged with her story.

Pratik Gandhi, in the lead role as Harshad Mehta, a.k.a The Big Bull, was a bit underwhelming to watch. The kind of impact and stature expected to reflect on-screen from his character is missing, and if not for the stellar supporting cast, the show would have fallen flat in case it relied on his shoulders to carry the narrative.

But, it is Rajat Kapoor who brings the excitement back to the show in the episodes towards the end. His role as a ruthless Investigating Officer tasked to question some of the major players of the scam is the perfect dose of energy required by the show. That he is talented is a well-known fact, but the way he completely transforms the pace in this show is applause-worthy. Sharib Hashmi has a small role to play as the whistle blower, but he shows immense poise and caliber in his stint and also leaves an impact. Nikhil Dwivedi as the corporate antagonist of the story is good and does justice to his character.

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To sum up, SCAM 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story is a fantastic watch firstly because of the splendid choice of story and secondly because it is a well-made show with some top-notch performances. We give this show three and a half out of five stars. Watch ‘SCAM 1992’ on Sony Liv here.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Sony Liv YouTube
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