Hansal Mehta Directs Jigna Vora’s ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison’

Hard-hitting, real-life stories and multi-dimensional characters are what define Hansal Mehta’s filmography. The award-winning director has always presented the realities of our times through his filmmaking, leaving us with memorable characters and human stories.

 Kicking off a partnership with Netflix, Hansal Mehta will make his directorial debut on the service, with the series entitled  Scoop. The character drama recently started shooting, under the production company, Matchbox Shots.  Inspired by the book written by Jigna Vora, ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison’, Scoop is a character drama that traces the journey of Jagruti Pathak, an ambitious crime journalist. Her world comes crashing down when she is charged for the heinous murder of a fellow journalist, Jaideb Sen and ends up in a prison cell with those she once reported on. The others charged include a notorious sharp shooter, a nefarious bookie and the infamous, Chhota Rajan! The truth is quietly buried as she waits out a trial.

Speaking about the series and associating with Netflix, Hansal Mehta said, “Reading Jigna Vora’s book – ‘Behind The Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison’ piqued my interest and compelled me to bring this story alive on screen. We’ve already begun filming and I’m excited about this story being my first collaboration with Netflix. Great stories can only benefit from a service that can make it reach a wider set of audience, Scoop is that kind of a story With my co-creator Mrunmayee Lagoo and producers Matchbox Shots, I am seeking to delve deep into a tale of our mediatised times and the human cost of stories that we consume on a daily basis.”