PremiumScam 2003’s Gagan Dev Riar on how the show relates to his own life: 'I can understand the plight, struggle and poverty'
Gagan Dev Riar, who played Abdul Karim Telgi in Scam 2003, talked about Scam 2003 The Telgi Story, his struggles, and more.
Last Updated: 04.40 PM, Nov 11, 2023
Actor Gagan Dev Riar debuted on the big screen with Abhishek Chaubey's Sonchiriya, costarring Sushant Singh Rajput and Manoj Bajpayee, but he didn't achieve widespread recognition until earlier this year. Gagan played Abdul Karim Telgi in Hansal Mehta's most recent production, Scam 2003 - The Telgi Story, and the audience applauded him.
Recently, while speaking to ETimes, Gagan Dev Riar revealed about the similarities of his journey to that of Telgi. He said that we all face challenges in life, and the joys and sorrows, happiness, and despair we experience all have a common thread. "And that is why I think we get captivated when we see it on a big screen." In one way or another, it has happened to all of us. Telgi's life does share some similarities with his own struggles from earlier in life. He believes that the only thing that differs in this situation is our response to those obstacles.
"So, the decision-making thing is not where I can relate to him. But, I can understand the plight, struggle, and poverty. I can understand the basic need for a house, a shelter, or clothing, or food, or any kind of basic joyful moment that we are yearning for in this life," Gagan added.
About Scam 2003
Scam 2003: The Telgi Story tells Abdul Karim Telgi's life story. The show is directed by Tushar Hiranandani and is helmed by Hansal Mehta. Additionally starring in the show are Bharat Jadhav, Shaad Randhawa, Sana Amin Sheikh, Mukesh Tiwari, and Shobha Khote.
The show's subject, Telgi, started off by forging passports before switching to stamp documents. In order to sell his counterfeit stamp documents to organizations like banks and insurance firms, he employed close to 300 people as agents. Over time, his operation expanded in magnitude. The entire stamp paper industry was once valued in the billions. However, as the police discovered his activities, everything stopped.
Scam 2003 is streaming on SonyLIV.