‘Scam 2003 - The Telgi Story’ Series Review - A Bland And Tedious Thriller

When we first see Abdul Karim Telgi (Gagan Dev Riar), he is busy selling fruits on a train. The way he uses his words to attract customers looks nothing less than magic. But why introduce him on a train? Simply because later, Abdul will perform another kind of magic on a different train. Also, he, at first, lives near a railway station. Let's dig a little deeper. Trains go from one station to another. Some stations are big, with multiple platforms, while some are small, with a minimum of two platforms. But the size doesn't matter. The train halts at both the big and small stations. Abdul's life, too, is like a train. It pulls up at big stations (success, wealth) as well as the small, unmaintained ones (obstacles). All these stops are, of course, temporary because, like a train, Abdul continues to move forward to his destination.

It all sounds clever and calculated. This is not a compliment, however. This planned approach debilitates the emotional core of Scam 2003 - The Telgi Story. From the beginning itself, the show behaves in such a manner as if it already knows what's going to happen in the future. Characters often say to Abdul, "Kaun hai tu?" reminding him of his low status and indirectly telling the audience that his position will change later. Another character informs Abdul that he will keep returning to the prison as if foreshadowing this soon-to-be scammer's situation. Such moments, instead of immersing us in the narrative, keep us at a distance. Your mind is busy connecting the dots and is always ahead of the ongoing event.

Consider Abdul's relationship with women. His encounter with his first wife, Nafisa (Sana Amin Sheikh), is described as love at first sight. When he notices a dancer at a bar, we hear the song, "Dekha hai pehli baar saajan ki aankhon mein pyaar." The eyes are mentioned in both cases, but again, you admire the design and do not catch the emotions. Abdul says he is a family man and loves his wife and daughter. This love, however, is merely declared and not allowed to be felt. Nafisa is reduced to a subservient wife who unconditionally supports her husband. The family man's family is pushed into the background, and they don't seem to have a life of their own. Abdul reveals that he returned from the Gulf because he missed his spouse and daughter, but we never believe in these words. Similarly, when Abdul tells his mother that he still hears the sounds of trains at night, we dismiss this statement as a joke. Scam 2003 informs us about these things but never shows them. As a result, so many things here ring false.

Since Scam 2003 merely touches upon Abdul's personal life, his familial troubles - being asked to stay away from his wife and daughter and getting arrested in front of them - don't give rise to compelling drama. Even his professional journey/issues are conveyed using an uncreative problem-solving formula. Want a vendor license? Win over a politician. Is one printing machine obstructing the path to more wealth? Get more such devices. Do you want to be "friends" with Madhusudhan Mishra (Vivek Mishra)? Give him a watch. In this case, though, money alone (initially) doesn't turn out to be the best solution. Abdul is so money-minded that his first instinct is always to use cash to eliminate complications. This greedy man sees everyone as greedy, too. This rapaciousness is the only quality that feels true about Abdul. Scam 2003 considers this character a materialistic monster who doesn't think about his family before diving (again) into the world of corruption.

Scam 2003 is so absorbed with Abdul's scammy methods that it displays them dutifully to a fault. The other aspects of his life are excessively flattened. What you are left with is a character with very few dimensions. After a while, Abdul looks bland, and his stunts leave you exhausted. To make matters worse, the show has a monotonous pulse. Every scene exists on the same tonal level. We don't participate in Abdul's sinful celebrations or get the opportunity to condemn his actions. Scam 2003 tediously dumps scam-related details on the audience. Riar's performance is also as dry as dust. It's devoid of a second level. He only reacts to the ongoing occurrences. He smiles during happy scenes and shows frustration and sadness during troubling moments. That's how shallow the acting is here.

The series, however, succeeds in its flexible commentary. A politician yells that the real criminals are roaming freely, and Abdul states that every Muslim is being seen as a don. But both these characters are wicked and merely present themselves as good people in front of the public (Abdul suggests renovating a mosque). The lesson here is potent: Only a con nourishes his image through photographs and PR.

Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times