Hansal Mehta Wants To Inspire Men With 'Scoop', Shares His Two Cents On 'Deep-Rooted Patriarchy'

Whether it's a little bedtime story, a production on a large screen, or an OTT platform, storytelling is an art.

However, there aren't many people who have mastered the art of telling stories and can do so in a way that touches audiences deeply and leaves an enduring impression.

Hansal Mehta is one director that stands out as he uses occurrences from real life to generate stories. The director has already given us masterpieces like Shahid, Farzaz, Scam 1992, and others. He is now prepared to tell the tale of a reporter who ended up being the reported in a case.

Hansal Twitter

Hansal Mehta spoke exclusively to Indiatimes about his well-known projects, Scoop, and a few anecdotes.

Sharing his POV on why he is coming up with such a subject, the filmmaker said, ¡°there are so many stories in the world. These stories are important to chronicle our times and tell the world about the times we have lived in. I found the story very compelling, especially the character which is a representative of our times. With my co-creator I felt we had the potential to create a very engaging series. ¡°

Netflix

For those who are unaware, the story in Scoop is drawn from Jigna Vohra's book Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison and is based on real-life occurrences.

While discussing the book, the filmmaker said that he read the book when producers came to him with the story. He finished the book in just two days and thought there was a chance he could expand on the story with a series.

In addition, he said that when given the option, he chose to turn the book into a web series rather than a movie because it had a larger story. Jigna Vohra's time in prison was the subject of the book. He believed that it was a more in-depth investigation of the life of a single mother, her aspirations in a big city, and how the reporter ends up being the reported. He also expressed gratitude to his co-creator and others for their efforts.

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In response to a question about whether they utilised creative licence, the filmmaker responded that as the tale goes beyond the book, what viewers will see would be a fictionalised, dramatised version of it. That's why they haven't adopted any names and the characters don't resemble any real people, alive or dead.

To give you more context, the series is a perfect representation of a strong mother who has been taking care of her child alone and is fighting for her innocence after being framed for a crime she did not commit.

Talking about the tale inspiring the country, Hansal said, ¡°Not just women, but I hope it inspires men and helps them to introspect how we look at a woman¡¯s success in a workplace and how we behave with her. This whole deep-rooted patriarchy we have where we attribute the success of a woman to sleeping around and a man¡¯s to his capability. It comes front of that conditioning that one has grown up with. I hope the show helps all of us introspect on how gender-biased we could be.¡±

Talking about the casting for this project, he said, ¡°huge amount of credit goes to Mukesh Chabra who has been casting for me since the last 13 years. From Rajkummar Rao, Pratik Gandhi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Aditya Raval, Zahaan Kapoor, Karishma Tanna to Harman Baweja, he has put the entire ensemble together. With his casting and the bold choices he pushes me to take, it makes my work look better.¡±

Scoop will release on Netflix on 2nd June.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)