'I Got Power To Tell More Stories', Hansal Mehta On Scam 1992 Becoming A Success & Its Impact

"I want my success to buy me the power to tell more stories"

Stories must be told, right? And well-crafted stories are supposed to be seen and cherished. Filmmakers all over the world utilise their grit and power to create stories that are difficult to forget, and when those stories receive love in the form of appreciation, it's a win!

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Today we're highlighting a story that swept the world by storm and will be etched in our mind till eternity. It's none other than Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.

The film has completed 3 years and it only feels like yesterday that everyone was raving about the show.

Set in early 1990s Bombay, it depicts Harshad Mehta's dramatic ascent and fall as the flashy great bull of the stock market. It rocked the nation when fiery financial journalist Sucheta Dalal revealed him as the mastermind behind India's greatest financial scandal at the time.

This project was made by a filmmaker who is known for his detailed vision, we¡¯re talking about Hansal Mehta!

The director indulged in an exclusive interview with Indiatimes and explained the aftermath of Scam 1992 and a lot more.

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When asked if he had any expectations from the project, Hansal said, ¡°I never work on expectations. During Scam, we just wanted the project to finish, we were so tired and had spent sleepless nights completing it that we wanted to get it over with. The day it was streaming we had only put out 9 episodes and the 10th was in post production. We were delivering episodes every 2-3 hours. Final one came 36 hrs after the 9th one. Then I went on a break. Pratik Gandhi called me and said sir I think my life has changed. So when I went back from the holiday there was so much love and praise for the show. For me all of that means that I get more power to tell more stories. That's all I want. I want my success to buy me the power to tell more stories.¡±

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The Advent Of OTT And The Effect On Silver Screen

When asked if he thinks OTT is at its peak, he said, ¡°before I became a filmmaker and I was in college and there was the advent of video and TV, people said that theatrical releases are finished. But the theatrical business picked up again, Shah Rukh Khan became a big star and that will never stop. Magic of cinema will never die. There will be a calibration and learning and unlearning curve. OTT is a welcome addition. It will only add to the audiences. We as filmmakers want a story to be seen by a max number of people and OTT allows us that. This medium has given us the opportunity. It's not a boom but a boon.¡±

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Not Box Office Numbers, Audience Matters The Most

Well all know how these days a movie¡¯s success is only decided by box office numbers and not by audience's reaction, sharing his views on it the filmmaker asserted that it is their choice and that it is a free nation. Thus, it cannot be stopped. He believes that those who invested in the movie should be concerned about the box office. The business of audiences is quality and narrative. Hansal continues by saying that once the project is out there, it's no longer his story, rather it is the audiences and that is all that should matter.

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Project On Mahatama Gandhi & Implementing His Ideologies In Real Life

You must be aware that the director is gearing up for another project on Mahatma Gandhi, when asked if he is a follower of Bapu¡¯s ideologies, he said, ¡°It's a tall order, at times of despair, I often turn to Gandhi Ji and his teachings. His life often turns into a lesson in times of adversity. So the man who has inspired millions of people like me, I believe his entire journey deserves a larger platform and bigger story.¡±

When asked about some of his favorite 90s movies, he named Satya, Rangeela, Is Raat Ki Subha Nahi and others.

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¡°In a way, the 90s particularly was a dark phase also but we had great music and films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and many blockbuster tales along with the rise of Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, so that time gave us some of the big contemporary names that there are today.¡±

While concluding, we asked him about OTT releases has he liked in the last few months. He named Dahaad, Trial By Fire, Delhi Crime, Farzi and Rocket Boys.

He added ¡°There is so much good work that is happening that we as an audience can never really complain. Every platform has its brilliant shows and it's a great time to be making all these stories.¡±

For the unversed, his most recent project starring Karishma Tanna titled ¡®Scoop¡¯ bagged two big awards at the Busan Film Festival 2023.

What Is Scoop About?

Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, written by Jigna Vora, serves as the basis for the OTT series. It is based on the true account of Jigna Vora, who in June 2011 was charged with killing Mid-day reporter Jyotirmoy Dey.