‘Scam 2003’ creator Hansal Mehta on Gagan Dev Riar, comparisons, Volume 2 | Exclusive 

Hansal Mehta returns with the second season of the ‘Scam’ franchise after the success of ‘Scam 1992’. ‘Scam 2003’ focuses on the infamous Telgi scam of Rs 30,000 crore, that rocked the financial status of the nation. Gagan Dev Riar plays Abdul Telgi in the series, which will release Volume 2 in November. In an exclusive chat with IndiaToday.in, Hansal reveals why they were forced to release it in two volumes, casting Gagan as Telgi and comparisons with the first season.

Excerpts below:

First off, fans are upset with ‘Scam 2003’ being divided into two volumes. What was the reason behind making this decision?

It was a conscious choice we had to make. We had a release date that we wanted to meet, and there were five episodes that we're still working on. When you're making a show which is set in a period, there is a lot to consider; the VFX, sound, everything needs to be worked on. But, we did not want to delay the entire show, so we decided to release it in two volumes. That was the strategy that we applied because there's work to be done.

It’s not to create curiosity or any of that. A lot of people are saying, “this is very wrong.” But, it's genuine. There's still work to be done on the remaining five episodes.

You are known for your unusual casting choices. Be it Pratik in ‘Scam 1992’ or Rajkummar Rao in ‘Shahid’ back then and now Gagan in ‘Scam 2003’. Tell me a bit about how you take those decisions?

I think my casting choices are driven by honesty. I'm fortunate that I have people around who support my honesty and support the intention behind it. For me, casting a star or non-star is not the issue. The thing is, it has to be correct for the show, for the story and the character.

Tell me a bit about casting Gagan Dev Riar as Telgi? How did that happen?

I actually saw Gagan in ‘Sonchiriya’ first, but at that time, I had not noticed him. But, he was later finalised to play a role in ‘Scam 1992’. He was finalised to play the role of Sitaram, who was later played by Jemini. Gagan, at that time, was committed to ‘A Suitable Boy’, which had a gallery of talented people like Tabu and Ishaan Khattar, but I somehow couldn’t take my eyes off from Gagan. At that time, we were developing Telgi and I told Mukesh Chhabra, ‘we have found our Telgi’. Mukesh then auditioned him immediately but he was not happy with his first audition. So, he did another and that sort of sealed it. He is such a find.

What do you take of the comparisons being made with ‘Scam 1992’?

It's bound to be there. Comparisons are inevitable. Especially when the first season was such an unprecedented and unexpected success. We have to take it in stride. If we look at the current comparisons and go or feel bad about it, it won’t be fair. Somebody says, ‘This is good or it is not better than the first one. Both of those comments are unfair, because this is a different story, narrated in a different way, with a new set of actors. Our job was to focus on the job at hand and to do it in the best way possible.

'Scam 2003' has released five episodes on September 1, 2023.