Actress Karishma Tanna says she always wanted to work with filmmaker Hansal Mehta, a wish that came true with the Netflix series Scoop.
Tanna believes she manifested the role for herself and recalled the message that she sent to the filmmaker after she watched his critically-acclaimed series Scam 1992.
"I believe a lot in manifestations. When I saw Scam, I immediately messaged him. This is me. If I like someone, an actor or director, or if something touches my heart, without any ego, I would message the person. I told him, ‘Hansal sir, I loved your work in Scam. I would like to work with you in future.’ And he said, ‘Soon’," the actor told PTI in an interview.
Scoop, which started streaming on Netflix from Friday, is inspired by journalist Jigna Vora's 2019 biographical book Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison. In 2011, Vora was accused of killing journalist J Dey but was later acquitted by the court.
A year after her brief chat with Mehta, Tanna said she received a call from casting director Mukesh Chabbra who asked her to audition for Scoop.
The 39-year-old admitted she didn’t have any hopes of being chosen for the lead role of Jagruti Pathak.
“Mukesh Chabbra said, ‘Netflix is making this series, audition for it.' I have auditioned a lot for Mukesh and I have never gone beyond shortlisting. With no expectation, I shot this also.
"I knew, even if I am not getting the role, Hansal sir is watching this audition of mine. Whether I get it or not is another thing, so I gave my best.”
Soon after the audition, Tanna went on vacation and was in disbelief when she got the offer. "I froze literally... When I met him (Mehta), I thought my manifestation worked," she added.
Penned by Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul and Mirat Trivedi, Scoop follows Jagruti Pathak, a star crime reporter at a Mumbai newspaper, who makes headlines after she is accused of her rival Jaideb Sen's (Prosenjit Chatterjee) murder.
The actor said she was both thrilled and anxious to play the character.
“I was very nervous about whether I would be able to match up to Hansal sir's expectations... She is a mother, an ambitious journalist, there were a lot of ups and downs.
"So, I was thinking, will I be able to make him happy as an actor? It was all running in my mind. When I read the character, it matches my personality. She was restless, impatient, and on her toes,” Tanna added.
The actress considers Scoop as the best work of her career that saw her earlier feature in shows and movies such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Naagin 3, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 10, and Sanju.
"I have never worked so hard on any of my projects because I have never got this kind of a project... Here I had to play a different role, I was very nervous. It was difficult."
Scoop is produced by Matchbox Shots, Sarita Patil, and Dikssha Jyote Routray.
Sandhya Suri poses during a photocall for the film "Santosh" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2024.