Scoop: Murder Of A Crime Reporter In Mumbai
On the morning of June 12, 2011, veteran journalist J Dey and I had planned to have tea at his Ghatkopar home. Unfortunately, I ended up attending his funeral instead. Dey was not only a friend and a senior but also my daily acquaintance. During our last conversation, we discussed the Pakmodia Street shootout, where Arif, the bodyguard of Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar, was fatally shot in May, a month prior. Subsequently, a person claiming to be underworld don Chhota Rajan contacted TV news channels and confessed to the murder. It was believed that the original target was Kaskar.
Dey expressed surprise at Rajan's intention to attack Kaskar. According to Dey, although Dawood and Rajan were fierce enemies, the same animosity did not exist between Kaskar and Rajan.
Despite not being adept at reviewing movies or web series, I felt compelled to write this piece after numerous friends from the media fraternity and the Mumbai Police sought my perspective on "Scoop", the web series based on the murder case of J Dey.
A few days after the murder, a man purported to be Chhota Rajan called me to take responsibility for the murder. Recognising it as an extrajudicial confession, I promptly informed the police and was summoned to testify in court. I personally know many of the individuals on whom the characters in the series are based.
I finished watching the web series last Sunday and found it highly entertaining. With the exception of Chhota Rajan, the names of all other characters have been altered, although journalists from my generation could easily identify which character represents which real-life personality. Jigna Vora, the journalist whose book serves as the inspiration for the movie, is referred to as Jagruti Pathak.
As previously mentioned, the film possesses significant entertainment value, but it should not be mistaken for the true story of J Dey's murder, which caused an uproar across India in June 2011. The series blends fact and fiction and subtly seeks to either glorify or vilify certain individuals.
Regarding the portrayal of Jigna's suffering, it has been presented honestly and appears close to reality. I have confidence in the court's acquittal of her. The police's theory that a professional rivalry among crime reporters could escalate to the extent of seeking mafia assistance in orchestrating a murder is difficult to accept. Jigna could never regain those nine months of ignominy. However, when the story delves into the motives behind Dey's murder, it transitions from non-fiction to fiction.
Although the series makers claim it to be a "work of fiction" in their disclaimer, they assert in promotional media interviews that those seeking the "reality" of Dey's murder must watch it.
The filmmaker subtly introduces numerous hypotheses, such as the connection between a former ATS chief and the Dawood gang, as well as Dey's intention to expose the nexus between Dawood and the Mumbai Police. The movie goes on to suggest that the Chhota Rajan gang did not kill J Dey (despite the court finding Rajan guilty and sentencing him to life imprisonment).
The movie depicts an incident where Indian intelligence agencies planned to eliminate Dawood in 2005 with the assistance of two shooters from Chhota Rajan's gang. However, while they were in Delhi meeting a top spymaster to strategise the mission, the Mumbai Police suddenly appeared and arrested them, sabotaging the operation. This incident is true, except for the incorrect portrayal of the officer accused of sabotaging the mission in the movie. The Mumbai Police team that went to Delhi was led by a DCP-rank officer, while the Netflix series incorrectly depicts an Additional CP, a higher rank at the time.
The filmmakers should have conducted better research on Mumbai's festivals. 'Happy Ganesh Chaturthi' is typically wished on the first day of Ganesh Utsav, not on the last day when Lalbaugcha Raja emerges from its pandal for immersion. Nevertheless, these are minor errors, and I recommend the series to viewers who enjoy crime fiction.
As someone who has covered crime in Mumbai for the past two and a half decades, I believe crime reporting is akin to walking a tightrope, where even the slightest imbalance can prove perilous.
(Bombayphile is published every Saturday where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)
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