MELBOURNE, 4 June 2023: अगर एक आदमी कहे कि बाहर बारिश हो रही है और दूसरा कहे कि बाहर धूप है. ऐसे में मीडिया का काम दोनों का पक्ष बताना नहीं, बल्कि खुद खिड़की के बाहर देखकर सच बताना है. (If one person says it’s raining outside and the the second one says it’s sunny, in such a situation the media does not have to report both the views. Instead it has to peep outside the window and tell the truth.) These words are said by Editor in Chief (Imran Siddiqui) of the newspaper where the protagonist crime reporter Jagruti Pathak (Jagu), played by Karishma Tanna, is accused by police of facilitating the murder another crime reporter Jaideep Sen, allegedly out of enmity. Allegedly she provided information about the killed reporter to the criminal syndicate led by Chhota Rajan. In those days Dawood Ibrahim’s D – Company was in rivalry with the Chhota Rajan Gang.
This rather violent, scary and sordid tale of cat and mouse being played by the criminals, police and the media, in Scoop, is based on the 2011 incidents detailed in Jigna Vora’s book ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison.’ Jinga spent 9 months in jail before being bailed out and finally acquitted of killing the journalist in 2018. What happens and what is reported, the pressure on the cops to catch the criminals and the reporter trying to get a tip for a ‘scoop’ for page one, is about which Hansal Mehta delves into Mumbai’s dark belly. The pursuit of truth (a rare commodity these days) is laced with the inside happenings of the police department and the media itself. Media competition, no doubt, played a big role in what one read in the newspaper, as the digital stuff was yet to come up.
The ‘Scoop’ story inspired by a real-life experience, in six episodes (around an hour each) will keep you spell-bound. Jagu’s suffering in the prison and the fight of her family and the Editor-in-Chief’s resolve to stand by her, is well portrayed. The struggle of an editor balancing between professionalism and revenue is a truism. The cops under strain at work also face battles at home. This finds reflection in the incident whether the top cop’s daughter should go for a school trip or not.
It’s also a story of India’s legal system. Has much changed now? It takes years for a case to proceed. Sunny Doel’s dialogue in a movie – ‘Tareek pe tareek’ (date after date) resonates. It took 7 years for Jinga to be acquitted. Later Chota Rajan was convicted for life imprisonment for getting the journalist eliminated. Jagu, while in jail helps other female prisoners fight their cases. The appalling conditions in the prison also come under scrutiny. Jagu’s day-to-day prison struggle speaks for itself. One wonders things will ever become human. The trauma of a female crime reporter in jail is not different from other inmates. Also, how many journalists do stories on conditions in Indian prisons or other democratic issues? But things have changed.
Hansal Mehta talking to Newsclick says, the media is the fourth pillar of democracy and it has to uphold democratic ideals. But democracy itself is under attack. The media itself is under attack. The real life Jinga quit journalism and is reportedly a spiritual coach, tarot reader, and meditation expert.
Hansal Mehta’s ‘Scoop’ raises issues of media, policing, crime and the triangle nexus it develops. Hansal has rightly claimed he does not sensationalise his stories. ‘Scoop’ is not a sensational dramatisation and does not glorify the subject. It raises issues that remain relevant to this day. Only the style and content are draped in the parameters of the 21st century. Hansal’s ‘Scoop’, in the true sense, is skilful story-telling with grit. Performances are good. Well done, Hansal Mehta and team.
The series end’s with a tribute to assassinated journalist Gauri Lankesh and other journalists killed. This gives respect and courage to upcoming journalists in the pursuit of truth.
Link- Full Cast & Crew
I give Scoop 4 and half stars out of 5.
Scoop’ is created by Hansal Mehta and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul.
The series is currently streaming at Netflix.
