Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is a Compelling Financial Odyssey
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is an impressive and thorough examination of Indian institutional rot and the ambitious individuals that help fuel it. It shows impressive pacing for a nearly ten hour series. Crackling character-driven crime dramas aren’t hard to come by but systems-centric social critiques are few and far between, and Scam 1992 is an exemplary sequence for a viewer looking for a show that critiques systems rather than a show that idolizes heroes.
A Masterclass in Moral Ambiguity
The series is great by not making Harshad Mehta a saint or a, completely evil, cartoon villain. Pratik Gandhi brings the intoxication of a man who thinks he has beat the financial system, and brings real pathos to the high risk stock market game. Even with some critics noting that the series does not get fully into the mind of its main character some of the time, the thinking behind the script draws him as a reflection of the problems in the broader system and not as an evil main character. When dealing with the stock market, the main tension is not just the risk as Mehta takes, but the conflict of someone’s ego against the system.</p
The Architecture of a Period Drama
The creators of ‘Scam 1992’ have accurately recreated the rough textures of 1980s Bombay, and they have successfully captured the lived in quality of the city in their show. The cinematography of nearly all contemporary financial thrillers can be seen to be far more glossy, while the cinematography of ‘Scam 1992’ has captures a much grittier, far more urgent and volatile quality, in line with the aesthetics of the era the show is based on.
The series also suffers from pacing issues, as the quantity of finances jargon and procedures can become tiresome, especially when the emotional core of the show can become eclipsed. The dialog and story are not mis-steps, but it can become a dauntingly lengthy watch for viewers who like their stories and shows to move quicker.
Who Should Engage With This Bull Run
This series is for those who enjoy economic and crime genre shows and love to examine real-world cases. This series is for patients who like to dig through convoluted layers and examine the security market. The series is complex, and it is recommended to sit through the murky morality of the protagonists.
Those seeking a traditional heist show will likely find the systematic, almost dialogue-heavy series structure boring and confusing. Those who lack the patience for boardroom political analysis and drawn out investigations will see the 500+ minute structure as a chore rather than an interesting deep dive.
