Kolkata:Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group led by media veteran Sameer Nair is known for bringing unique and compelling premium content to audiences, which has received appreciation from audiences and critics alike.
Amongst the multiple shows that they launched last year in the Indian streaming space, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story which is currently streaming on SonyLIV, witnessed immense love and fanfare unlike any other show has till 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 as ‘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 India’s 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, 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, SonyLIV and 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 shoot floor later this year and stream exclusively on SonyLIV.(UNI)