Rashid Mehta

Post the success of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta story, Applause Entertainment created a stir with the announcement of the 2nd season of their popular 'Scam' franchise titled 'Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. While Pratik Gandhi aced the role of Harshad Mehta, the Big Bull of Dalal Street, now the creative and casting teams have found the perfect match to play Telgi, the fruit seller who built an empire by counterfeiting stamp papers. A veteran theatre artist Gagan Dev Riar has been roped in to play the role of Abdul Karim Telgi.Applause Entertainment and SonyLIV announce their lead actor for Scam 2003: The Telgi StoryThe series chronicles the life of Abdul Karim Telgi, a fruit-seller born in Khanapur in Karnataka, and his journey to becoming the mastermind behind one of the most ingenious scams in India. The scam, spread across multiple states, shook the entire country.

Updated: Jun 6, 2021 - 11:59 AM IST It is time to applaud Applause Entertainment. Take a bow, you Scamsters! The team of 2020s Harshad Mehta bio-series Scam 1992 now has even more reason to be proud. They have just achieved what no other series or television show from India has ever achieved. The highly-rated IMDb has curated a list of the most popular webseries and television serials of all times. The list which contains 163 titles from across the world has only one Indian entry. Applause Entertainments Scam 1992:Harshad Mehta Story directed by Hansal Mehta has made it into the coveted list as one of the most-watched series from across the world.Pratik Gandhi who played the eponymous role said, We knew we were doing a sincere job of it. But we could never guess it would go this far. My biggest reason for accepting the role of Harshad Mehta was director Hansal Mehta. My producers Applause Entertainment and Sameer Nair were godsent. I love playing real-life characters. Ive played quite a number of them on stage including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Its always a challenge to portray a real-life character especially one as much in the public domain as Harshad Mehta.There were lots of layers to Harshad Mehta's character which Pratik got attracted to. I like playing characters with complex human traits. Also, this is the biggest project that Ive done in my life. All these reasons were more than enough incentive to do the project.Pratik says he did a lot of research on Harshad Mehta. I was provided with a lot of material. I also did my own research. There were some videos of Harshad that I studied. There is also an informative interview of Harshad with legendary journalist Pritish Nandy. The script in itself provided a detailed document on the character. All this, plus multiple discussions with the writers and directors helped me a lot.Pratik undertook a whole regime of physical preparation to play Harshad. When I first met director Hansal Mehta he told me Im too lean and thin to play Harshad Mehta. I had to gain 18 kilos before we started shooting. I gorged on all the Gujarati goodies that I earlier avoided. By the time we started shooting, I had a huge belly and a lot of fat on my face. And of course the trademark Harshad Mehta mustache.He took a conscious decision to not look like Harshad. Looking like the real-life character certainly makes the actors job easier especially when it is someone as well-known as Harshad Mehta. He loved being in the limelight. One of his photographs with his Lexus is still popular. While making the series on Harshad we took a conscious decision that I wont try to look like the real Harshad. Rather Id focus on his behaviour, attitude, and personality, be it his helplessness initially, confidence, then over-confidence to the extent of letting his arrogance and ego get the better of his judgment. Hansal was clear about not caricaturing Harshad, but rather imbibing his characteristics into my personality.Being a Gujarati helped Pratik understand Harshad better. It helped me to understand his thought process, his dreams, a knack for understanding money matters, the entrepreneurial spirit. And that determination to be self-employed. Thats a Gujarati trait. Though I must confess that I come from a family of educationists. No one in my family is an entrepreneur."

Pratik Gandhi has been working in Gujarati theatre and cinema since a long time. In Bollywood, he was seen in Mitron (2018) and Loveyatri (2018) as the heros sidekick. But its in Scam 1992 (2020) that he got noticed and how. The web series, based on the life of infamous stock broker Harshad Mehta, got unanimous critical acclaim. Overnight, Pratik Gandhi became a household name. At the same time, audiences began to look forward to his upcoming projects with keen interest.It has now come to light that the actor will be seen in a Gujarati web series, titled Vitthal Teedi and if all goes well, it will be his next venture that will be out after Scam 1992. It is directed by Abhishek Jain, the celebrated Gujarati director who made films like Kevi Rite Jaish (2012), Bey Yaar (2014) and Wrong Side Raju (2016). Vitthal Teedi will be released on an upcoming OTT platform, OHO Gujarati, which is incidentally co-owned by Abhishek Jains company CineMan Productions Ltd.Last month, OHO Gujarati released a promo on YouTube to announce its launch. The 85 second long video had a glimpse of their many upcoming web series. Vithal Teedi was placed last and was prominently presented due to Pratik Gandhis casting. Recently, Abhishek Jain revealed that Vithal Teedi is set in the early 80s and is about a small-time gambler. The web series was recently filmed, in January 2021, that is, after Scam 1992s super-success.Incidentally, Abhishek Jain and Pratik Gandhi had worked before in Bey Yaar and Wrong Side Raju. Besides Vithal Teedi, Abhishek Jains next this year would be Hum Do Humare Do. This Dinesh Vijan production stars Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal and Ratna Pathak Shah. A few years ago, Abhishek Jain was also supposed to helm the Hindi remake of the Kannada hit Kirik Party (2016), with Kartik Aaryan and Jacqueline Fernandez. But the film got shelved before it could go on floors, for unknown reasons.As for Pratik Gandhi, his plate seems to be full. Along with Vitthal Teedi, Pratik will be seen in Atithi Bhooto Bhava, co-starring Jackie Shroff and Sharmin Segal. It is directed by Hardik Gajjar, who is also directing Pratik in Ravan Leela. Pratik will then be seen in a Disney+ Hotstar web series, Six Suspects, co-starring Richa Chadha and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. It is based on Vikas Swarups bestselling novel of the same name and is being shot currently. Finally, Pratik Gandhi will soon begin work on another Hindi film, Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan, which also features Taapsee Pannu.

Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group led by media veteran Sameer Nair, launched Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story last year which is currently streaming on SonyLIV. The series witnessed immense love and fanfare, unlike any other show, has to date. It left audiences thoroughly entertained and speculating as to what the next season could entail. All that speculation is now being put to rest as Applause Entertainment has officially announced that the second season of this popular 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/news reporter Sanjay Singh, who is credited with breaking the story of the scam back in the time. The series promises to be an intriguing watch as it will capture the life of Abdul Karim Telgi, born in Khanapur in Karnataka, and his journey to becoming the mastermind behind one of Indias most ingenious scams spread across multiple states which shook the entire country. It is estimated that the scam value was allegedly around Rs. 20,000 crores.Applause has roped in the talented Kiran Yadnyopavit, known for his contribution to the Marathi film industry, to write and develop the story along with author Sanjay Singh. The series will be helmed by the National award-winning director, Hansal Mehta, who continues to collaborate with the franchise after the stupendous success of Scam 1992.Sameer Nair, the CEO, Applause Entertainment, commented on the development, 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. We are extremely thrilled to announce The Telgi Story as the next season. There is some great potential we see in this story and are absolutely delighted to partner once again with StudioNEXT, SonyLIVand Hansal Mehta in taking forward this franchise.Danish Khan, EVP & Business Head - Sony Entertainment Television, SonyLIV&StudioNEXT at Sony Pictures Networks India, said, "We are delighted to partner with Sameer Nair and his fantastic team at Applause for season two of Scam. We look forward to collaborate with Hansal Mehta to bring an absolutely compelling show for our Sony LIV Premium Subscribers.Hansal Mehta said, I am delighted to be back with exploring yet another fascinating story following the immense success of Scam 1992. 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.Scam 2003: The Curious Case of Abdul Karim Telgi, is being produced by Applause Entertainment in association with StudioNEXT. The riveting series will be hitting the floor later this year and stream exclusively on SonyLIV.

Pen Studios is known for producing relatable high-concept films such as Kahaani, Helicopter Eela, Namaste England and The Accidental Prime Minister. Touted to be a strong content driven entertainer the makers have announced their next Ravan Leela starring Pratik Gandhi in the lead role, who is also known for this remarkable performance in Scam 1992 The Harshad Mehta Story.Ravan Leela is helmed by Hardik Gajjar films and written by Shreyes Anil Lowlekar. Known for producing meaningful cinema, Dr. Jayantilal Gada shares, "The film has a very unusual take and it has turned out extremely well. It's a strong content driven film with melodious music and very good performances, which has always been the focus of Pen Studios. We are extremely excited with the outcome."Director Hardik Gajjar says, I believe there are many ways of story telling, I have tried something new and I hope audiences like it. Presented by Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen), produced by Hardik Gajjar films in association with Backbencher Pictures, directed by Hardik Gajjar, the film is set to release soon in 2020.