Scoop Review: Netflix’s latest Hindi series stars Karishma Tanna as Jagruti Pathak, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Imran, Prasenjit Chatterjee as Jaideb Sen, Harman Baweja as JCP Harshvardhan Shroff, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Deven Bhojani, Tanmay Dhania, and others. It is directed by Hansal Mehta and based on Jigna Vora’s biographical book ‘Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison’. 

Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul and Murat Trivedi have co-written the story, and the screenplay is by Anu Singh Choudhary. There are six episodes, each lasting approximately 60–70 minutes.

Scoop Review Contains No Spoilers

Plot Summary

The Netflix series Scoop is a real story based on former crime journalist Jigna Vora. In 2011, Jigna was arrested and accused of the murder of another crime journalist, Jyotirmoy Dey. In Hansal Mehta’s series, Karishma Tanna plays the crime journalist Jagruti Pathak (name changed) for a newspaper called The Eastern Age. Jagruti is young and ambitious, breaking big crime stories in a male-dominated field. Despite being in the field for less than a decade, she was the Deputy Bureau Chief of the newspaper.

In 2011, the murder of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar’s driver, grabbed a lot of attention. The shooting led to questions about whether the gangster era is back in Mumbai. Reports stated that Chhota Rajan’s men killed the driver under his orders. Many journalists were working to get every possible Scoop on the big news. Jagruti Pathak and Jaideb Sen were also doing the same.

While Jagruti’s career started just seven years ago, Jaideb was already an established senior crime journalist. The competition was cutthroat. But in June 2011, Jaideb was shot dead in Powai during the day by four unidentified men on a bike. The cops were under pressure to investigate the murder and arrest whoever committed the crime. The Mumbai Police were already struggling to give clear answers about the driver’s murder, and now a journalist is dead. Somehow, Pathak gets embroiled in the fuss and is identified as one of the suspects.

The Netflix series shows how Jagruti, a reporter, gets reported. She has to prove her innocence with hardly any support. Did Jagruti Pathak really have any part to play in JD’s death? Why did the cops accuse her? Why was Jaideb shot dead? How did Pathak fight back? You get to see everything in the six episodes.

Scoop Review: Discussion

One cannot NOT talk about Mumbai without mentioning the underworld. The 90s were a nightmare for Mumbaikars because of them. It was the gangster and police encounter period; peace was rarely an option. In 2011, when Iqbal Kaskar’s driver was shot dead, news about Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim started making noise. The cops and the media carried out separate investigations to find the truth.

But things took an ugly turn for Jaideb and Jagruti. The former was murdered, and the latter’s life was made hell. Scoop often mentions how she is used as a scapegoat because of the police’s incompetency in solving the case. Despite being young, Pathak had great connections and sources who helped her with exclusives that many senior journalists couldn’t even crack. So there were also reporters who were jealous of her.

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In the last few years, the image of the media has been of reporters who are ridiculously loud and act like clowns. Even though that’s also a reality, it’s not the complete picture of how the industry works. Hansal Mehta’s Scoop depicts every reporter’s or journalist’s hard work to break an exclusive, get an interview, and deliver a front page or big story that will impact the readers. As someone from the same fraternity, I enjoyed watching the sincere and professional representation of the newsroom.

While some media people were protesting for justice for Jaideb’s murder, many didn’t leave a chance to mint money by writing/reporting slanderous stories about Jagruti. In one scene, a journalist asks about his colleague, and someone tells him he has gone to review Pyaar Ka Punchnama. Anyone who has watched the Luv Ranjan directorial knows how women are blamed for everything wrong in men’s lives in that movie. It was a clever exchange, as that’s what was happening with Jagruti. 

Jagruti Pathak’s story is an apt example of how much one can suffer if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and surrounded by the wrong people. She was subjected to a media trial and declared a culprit without thorough investigations or proof. Mehta has shown the cruel side of the media industry through Jagruti’s story.

When the narrative shifts to prison, you can’t help but feel for Karishma Tanna’s character. The pain, bullying, injustice, and manhandling she dealt with in the Byculla prison are unsettling. But Jagruti doesn’t give up easily and keeps fighting for herself, with only her family and her ex-boss Imran by her side.

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Karishma Tanna has given her career-best performance so far as journalist Jagruti Pathak. The actor is impressive throughout, whether it was her dedication to chase stories or the nightmare she encountered in prison. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub wins you over with his smart and civil portrayal of Imran, a journalist and Jagruti’s boss. He represents the side of the media that wouldn’t compromise ethics for some headlines.

After a long time, Harman Baweja is back on screen as JCP Harshvardhan Shroff. Harman nails the portrayal of a cop who disgusts you with his behaviour towards Jagruti initially. As Shroff’s personality worsens with every episode, Baweja gives his best as an actor.

Netflix’s Scoop Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, Scoop on Netflix is a compelling series where a journalist has to fight to corroborate her truth. Her struggle shouldn’t be mistaken as a story of “inspiration and strength,” because what happened to Jigna Vora, in reality, is agonising. It should enrage you.

The twisted lies and the inability of the cops and media to do their jobs better cost a diligent journalist seven years of her life and career. The narrative is gripping and shows the media lens aptly, regarding how they see everything as a story first.

The series is now streaming on Netflix.

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