Mumbai, Aug 12: Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has begun production on “Scam 2010”, the third chapter in the popular “Scam” franchise, with actor Siddhant Bodke set to play the lead role, streamer Sony LIV announced on Wednesday.
Produced by Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment, the new season of the show will chart the rise and fall of a sprawling financial empire.
The third chapter was officially announced in 2024 with the title “Scam 2010 – The Subrata Roy Saga”. The makers had described the show as a “dust-to-diamonds story of Roy, founder of the business group Sahara India.
Roy, who passed away in November 2023 at the age of 75 after battling a prolonged illness, faced multiple regulatory and legal battles in connection with his group firms that were accused of circumventing regulations with Ponzi schemes, allegations his group always denied.
At the time, Sahara India said the “aggrieved members” are seeking advice to take “suitable legal action against the producer, director and all those who are involved” in the making of the show.
According to the show’s official logline, “Scam 2010” will trace the journey from small savings schemes that laid the foundation for the empire to the public scrutiny that eventually followed.
“Scam 2010 is a story about ambition, influence and the arrogance that follows both. It looks at how one of India’s largest business empires was built on belief — and what happened when that belief ran out. It tells the fascinating story of the rise of an empire and the man who mistook it for invincibility,” Mehta said.
The “Scam” franchise is known for dramatizing real-life cases of financial fraud and the people at the centre of them.
The show’s smash hit first season “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” chronicled the rise and fall of stockbroker Harshad Mehta, while “Scam 2003: The Telgi Story” focused on Abdul Karim Telgi and the stamp paper counterfeiting case.
The franchise has also shown a willingness to cast relatively lesser-known actors in its lead roles, with Pratik Gandhi playing Harshad Mehta in “Scam 1992” and Gagan Dev Riar portraying Telgi in “Scam 2003”.
Bodke, known for featuring in many Marathi and Hindi movies such as “Neighbours”, “Sridevi Prasanna” and Shahid Kapoor’s “Deva”, now steps into the lead role in “Scam 2010”.
The makers have also unveiled his first look from the series.
The actor said the complexity of the role and scale of the series attracted him to the project.
“What floored me was the complexity of the lead’s personality and the scale of the show. His passion, power, flaws, rise and eventual downfall make him an incredibly fascinating character to portray,” Bodke said.
“The experience has been nothing short of thrilling for me, and I have relished the opportunity to play such a layered character under the guidance of someone like Hansal Mehta,” he added.
Deepak Segal, Chief Content Officer, Applause Entertainment, said the success of “Scam 1992” had created a responsibility to live up to the expectations surrounding the franchise.
“Scam has become much more than a franchise for us. The success of Scam comes with a lot of responsibility, as we are extremely conscious of the expectations that people have from us,” Segal said.
“With Scam 2010, we are taking that ambition even further. What makes this season particularly exciting is having Hansal Mehta return to direct. Hansal has been integral to the DNA of Scam from the beginning, and his ability to transform complex real-life events into intimate, gripping human stories is one of the reasons the franchise has resonated so deeply,” he added.
“Scam 2010” will stream exclusively on Sony LIV. (PTI)
