Scoop’s Aseem Hattangady: ‘Hansal Mehta is an excellent director and a great cook’

Ever since its release on Netflix, Hansal Mehta’s crime drama series Scoop - starring Karishma Tanna, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Harman Baweja - has become the talk of the town. Among the supporting cast, actor Aseem Hattangady’s character (Sandeep Narvekar, a journalist) has been receiving a lot of appreciation. Sharing an interesting anecdote from the set, he recently said that apart from directing the show, the filmmaker also used to cook delicious meals for the cast and crew members. 

Aseem - who is known for his work in Govinda Naam Mera, Rashmi Rocket and Ugly, among others - told IANS, “It was my first day of shooting. I had finished my scenes and packed up late in the evening to head home when I was told to wait by Hansal sir. The shoot wrapped up for the day and I was called on location. I entered the room with a balcony and there was Hansal cooking his most fragrant non-vegetarian curry. He looked at me and smiled, he had made it for the entire unit. We all had dinner together and it felt so good to be included that way. He is an excellent director, great cook and overall a wonderful human.”

Said to be based on journalist Jigna Vora’s incarceration and acquittal, Karishma plays Jagruti Pathak, a senior crime reporter and Deputy Bureau Chief of Eastern Age in Scoop. Among the other lead characters in the series are Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Harman Baweja, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deven Bhojani.

Also read: Scoop review: Karishma Tanna shines in this gripping Hansal Mehta directorial that should not be missed!

Giving an insight into preparing for his role, Aseem said, “The script has been meticulously prepared, which allows for a much easier interpretive process. I believe preparation is the key to success when it comes to a role. All I did was prepare myself by reading the script thoroughly and taking notes on what each scene was about. I tried my best to understand my character’s intentions and motivations and also worked very hard with my director to ensure that I stayed true to the script throughout the process.”

Also read: Hansal Mehta on Scoop: ‘It’s an exploration into our current times’

Adding to that, the actor said, “My character Sandeep has several notable differences from myself in real life, so performing as him was an out-of-the-ordinary experience for me, but one of the greatest things I've ever done while acting. He’s extremely reserved in tone compared to myself, so portraying this side of myself required some time getting used to, because this is not how I generally roll in real life. It was very fun trying something very different from what I'd usually do, yet still staying true to the character Sandeep on screen.”