Based on true events and on a novel Behind Bars In Byculla : My Days In Prison by Jigna Vora, Scoop follows the story of a journalist falsely accused in the murder of a fellow journalist. Will she get out of this pickle? The story here is excellent and something that needed to be told based on its relevancy. And kudos to Netflix for bringing out shows like Trial By Fire and now Scoop based on true events. The subject matter in itself was interesting here and I was curious as to how deep the makers are willing to go given that the concept of the show was to highlight the underbelly of journalism and crime. But it is the screenplay of 6 episodes ranging from 50 odd minutes to 70 odd minutes that makes for such a compelling watch that had me binge watch the entire show in a single night.

It was in 2013 that a journalist Jyotirmoy Dey was killed in broad day light in a residential area in Powai. I recall that it was a shocking event but I admittedly hadn’t actively followed its case. And this is the center point on which Scoop is based on. It has a proper three act structure, highlighting the three different phases of the protagonist accused of murder of a colleague from her fraternity. So we are introduced to the protagonist who is an ambitious young woman who constantly wants to fare better than her rivals in the field of journalism. The era is the early 2010s when journalism as a profession was on its last leg of maintaining ethics with a hint of corruption seeping in their veins. You are given a glimpse of the personal life of the protagonist who doesn’t quite have time for her family(or she chooses her job over them). You can see her hustle and the extent of getting some ‘scoop’ by mending ways all in the bargain to appear on the front page of her publication. There is an undercurrent of crime that forms a foundation for the story until the writers introduce the first conflict in the form of a murder and the drama scores the best when the focus is on the investigation.

The proceedings are interesting and insightful while being fast paced, something that will have your entire attention. Yet, the narration is partly fuelled by the characterization too wherein a bunch of characters when put in a situation react differently, thus leading to further interesting equations. This while there is an underlying commentary on the crab mentality prevalent in the profession with hints of patriarchy(given how a few cannot see women on the top of their game). There are layers to the story which allows you room to sympathize with the protagonist after a point so much so that it will make your blood boil. It also does highlight on the loopholes of the system where one party can go upto any extent to nail even the other innocent party while the ongoing media trials already announce their verdict!

The sequence of events unfolding leading up to the eventual trial when the accused protagonist is behind bars will make you squirm in your seat. The drama is uncomfortable when the past of the protagonist begins to haunt her present. The events are raw and quite disturbing to say the least wherein an attempt is made to get into the psyche of the protagonist(and her affected close ones too). A parallel track on the grand expose happens only on the sidelines and deliberately so wherein the writers wish to showcase that not many are interested in the truth and news channels are nothing more than an entertainment channel known just to engage the viewers. While the final act does provide respite and hope, it forces you to ponder on where we are collectively at as a society and whether anything around us is news at all? Overall, the screenplay is crackling and unabashed and it makes for a brilliant watch!