Scoop review: Provocative series is unfocused

In Scoop, when a successful crime reporter is accused of murder, she becomes the target of other journalists who wish to get a major scoop, just the way she used to do. The series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

In 2011, Jagruti Pathak is a crime reporter for Eastern Age. Her sources consist of top policemen as well as criminals, and when it comes to securing scoops, they help her stay ahead of most journalists.

Another senior journalist, Jaideb Sen, suspects that Mumbai Police is protecting a gangster, Dawood Ibrahim, who now lives out of India, and making his rival, Chhota Rajan, take the fall for everything. 

Jagruti gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview Chhota Rajan, and a few days later, Sen gets killed in broad daylight. The police claim that it was Rajan’s work, and Jagruti is also accused of being involved in Sen’s murder.

Even though there is only circumstantial evidence against her, Jagruti is arrested under Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and sent to judicial custody.

It was journalism that allowed her to make a name for herself, and it is the very same thing that declares her guilty out of court. Jagruti loses everything overnight and is seen as a criminal with links to organized crime. Will she be able to prove her innocence, or will she be guilty forever?

Performances

As Jagruti, who had it all and then lost it, Karishma Tanna had to be bold and confident in the first half and depict a broken woman in the second half. While she is a successful journalist at the beginning, later, her sorrow, hopelessness, and longing for her home account for some of the most moving scenes in the show. 

Tanna’s strong performance is supported by the equally strong performances of the rest of the cast. Harman Baweja, as Shroff, manages to portray his guilt adequately, which also manifests itself in the form of a physical illness.

Then there is Prosenjit Chatterjee, who does seem like a genius who wants to uncover the truth, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is an upright journalist who does not need to try too hard to show the audience the courage of his convictions.

Positives

The show has an ambitious female protagonist, and it tries to depict how even the most progressive sections of society see strong women as a threat. Both men and women refuse to accept their accomplishments and grab the first chance they get to take them down.

Although the protagonist is strong and successful, she is also a flawed character who has a lot to learn. She has a hand in the creation of the kind of journalism that takes her down. The show allows the audience to witness her development and even learn with her.

Most importantly, the show puts present-day journalism in India under a microscope and makes the audience think about every single aspect, like systematic victim sabotaging, the loss of sensitivity and truth when journalism becomes a business of entertainment, and more. 

It also depicts the damage done by witch hunts from the point of view of the victims and their families. The show does not reduce them to subjects of sensational news; it humanizes them. Jagruti being stripped of everything, literally and figuratively, in prison is a scene that will impact the audience.

The director manages to create a lot of tension in some of the scenes. The audience can almost feel it at times, like in the scene where Jagruti is first questioned by the police. The heat, the blank screen in the middle of the scene, and the camera angles all work to convey the discomfort of the protagonist.

Negatives

While the show explores problems with Indian journalism in depth and its message is relevant to the present times, the message is all over the place. It would have left a greater impact if it was put together in a better way.

Similarly, for the most part, the plot does not seem to have a direction. It is hard to get invested when too much is happening, and instead of creating suspense, it just makes the audience wonder where the plot is going.

The second half of the show seems to be too dragged out. Jagruti’s time in prison could have been wrapped up in fewer episodes without affecting the narrative. The dragged-out plot gives the impression that nothing significant is happening.

Verdict

Scoop is a show that is relevant to our times and will make the audience think about a lot of issues, but it is not without its flaws. The show has a lot of good ideas, but it is not able to present them in the best way possible.


Also Read: Scoop summary and ending explained

Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan is an editor at The Envoy Web. Her name translates to smile in English, but she likes shows and films that do anything but make you smile. She believes that analyzing and interpreting the tiny little things on-screen can reveal a story that is not visible to everyone, a story of your own.

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