SonyLIV’s ‘Scam 1992’ to get a sequel

New Delhi: Aditya Birla-owned content production house Applause Entertainment has announced a sequel to its successful crime drama on SonyLIV, Scam 1992- The Harshad Mehta Story.The second season of the franchise will feature the story of the 2003 stamp paper scam by Abdul Karim Telgi. Tentatively titled ‘Scam 2003: The Curious Case of Abdul Karim Telgi’, the show will be adapted from the Hindi book ‘Reporter ki Diary’ authored by journalist Sanjay Singh, who is credited with breaking the story of the scam back in the time.The series will be helmed by Hansal Mehta, also the director of the first instalment. Marathi film writer Kiran Yadnyopavit, has been roped in to write and develop the story along with Singh.Telgi, born in Khanapur in Karnataka, is known as the mastermind behind one of India’s most ingenious scams spread across multiple states whose value was estimated around Rs. 20,000 crore.“Scam 1992 has helped established a solid ground for the ‘Scam’ franchise where we aim to tell stories about the various scams that our country has witnessed, the people behind it, their motivations and machinations. The success of Scam 1992 endorsed our belief about the audiences’ interest in such stories,” Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said in a statement.To be sure, while most OTT platforms are investing in long-form series that span multiple seasons, such as Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Four More Shots Please!, Aarya and so on, few are building franchises around a theme across different stories. While Amazon Prime Video brought out crime thriller Breathe, Disney+ Hostar has Criminal Justice.According to media consulting firm Ormax, Scam 1992 ranks as the most-liked Indian web show of all time, according to advocacy surveys carried out periodically.“The new season of this franchise will focus on another riveting story that shook the country a few years ago - the stamp paper scam. I am looking forward to collaborating again with team Applause, SonyLIV and StudioNEXT, partners who think alike and encourage creative thought,” director Mehta said in a statement.