It’s the thrill of chasing a possible Page 1 byline or a ‘scoop’ that keeps most newspaper reporters going in spite of the risks involved. These risks range from sacrificing family time, long hours at work to flirting with danger. Based on the memoir by former crime reporter Jigna Vora, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, a new web-series on Netflix, titled Scoop, is a tale of the complex world of print journalism, murky underworld of Mumbai and the role of the police.

Director Hansal Mehta, with the web-series Scam 1992 (2000), has already shown how a real-life story should be told. The story of stockbroker Harshad Mehta, set in Bombay during the 80s and 90s, was dramatised but never exaggerated while creating a gripping narrative or a world that drew the audience in. This time around, Mehta, ably aided by his competent team, tells the story of an ambitious and enterprising Jagruti Pathak (Vora’s name is changed in the show), who is the deputy bureau chief at Eastern Age, a newspaper published in Mumbai.

Following the killing of Jaideb Sen (played by Prosenjit Chatterjee, this character is based on famous crime reporter J Dey who was shot in 2011), Pathak is framed and arrested as one of the main suspects in his murder case. She is in jail for nearly eight months before she is granted bail. In the case of Vora, it took her seven-year-long legal battles to have the charges against her dropped. This human drama is powered by its talented ensemble cast, which add to the show’s texture and tone. Almost all of the performances are notable, be it Karishma Tanna (as Pathak), Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja or Tannishtha Chatterjee.

Source - Indian Express