Scam 2003 – The Telgi Story review: Gagan Dev Riar brings life to the SonyLIV series

3.5/5

Story:

Abdul Karim Telgi went from selling fruits to operating a scam with stamp paper. The scam was worth Rs. 30,000 crore. Scam 2003 follows the journey of how this scam took place and eventually unfolded.

Review:

“Paisa kamaaya nahi, banaaya jaata hai.” Based on The Stamp Paper Scam, Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is in a league of its own.

Gagan Dev Riar in his lead role of Abdul Karim Telgi is no Pratik Gandhi from Scam 1992, but for the story, he does justice. Gagan is also the closest any actor could come to playing Telgi on screen. They share that kind of striking resemblance. There are times when he is outstanding in his role, and you feel every emotion with him. The biggest example is when he sets out on a journey by himself. Even though the scene is slightly dramatized, it leaves the impact it intends to.

Hemang Vyas as Kaushal Jhaveri is almost as brilliant as Riar. He has his moments, both at the beginning of the show and as far as the two’s bond goes.

Nandu Madhav appears on the show early on as Inspector Madhukar Dombe. He is impressive from his first scene and remains stable in his character and acting since.

Talat Aziz is good in the role of Shaukat. Shashank Ketkar as Telgi’s partner Jayant Karmarkar aka JK, even though he is as much in the frame as Telgi, is ignored.

Nikhil Ratnaparkhi does well in his role as the lawyer, Advocate Ganesh Kamble. Sameer Dharmadhikari as Tukaram comes in a brief role and leads the way.

Bharat Jadhav comes back as an actor after a long time and as always, he’s impressive. He plays the role of Durgesh Bharade.

Bhavana Balsavar is a surprise in the role of Garima Talpade. It is an unusual role for her but she does perform extremely well for the situation created.

Shaad Randhawa makes a special appearance in the series. He comes at a time when you least expect it but is one of the most powerful characters in the series.

Parag Tyagi and Mukesh Chhabra are among the surprises on the show. They appear in brief roles. While Parag is almost ignored as a talent, Mukesh comes in a more powerful role.

The series, helmed by Tushar Hiranandani, begins in 2003, when Telgi was caught doing the scam. How he was investigated makes for the first scene of the series. Thus, the story goes on in flashback.

Telgi's story, as we know, began as a fruit seller. How Telgi's life of crime began is explored in the series. Gagan leaves an impact with his darling dialogue.

The show also has some scenes in Gujarati as well as Bengali. The languages play an important role in the show. It will bring to mind Hansal Mehta's direction and showrunning of Scam 1992.

The Babri Masjid matter, from 1993, is touched upon too. Interestingly, the scam from the previous year, aka the Harshad Mehta scam, is not explored in the series. The scam affecting the business is not mentioned.

“Politicians are the backbone of business.” That is one statement that will haunt you for a long time before you actually realize what is happening with Scam 2003.

The first part of the series is out and the preview of the second part is out. The series promises much more with Gagan’s Telgi playing a smarter game.

Verdict:

Scam 2003 is in a league of its own. It is not Scam 1992, and so the comparison does not make sense. Watch this one for sure, since some moments are truly worth it.