: Riar delivers a phenomenal, transformative performance. He portrays Telgi not as a cinematic, larger-than-life villain, but as a deeply flawed, deeply relatable everyday man driven by obsessive ambition. Riar perfectly captures Telgi’s external humility, his internal calculated coldness, his physical transformation over the decades, and his ultimate vulnerability when the law catches up to him.
Following the monumental success of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story , expectations were sky-high for its spiritual sequel. In 2023, Sony LIV delivered Scam 2003: The Telgi Story , a series that trades the glitzy, fast-paced world of stock markets for the grimy, desperate, and labyrinthine world of counterfeit stamp paper. While it lacks the stylish swagger of its predecessor, Scam 2003 offers a raw, unsettling, and compellingly human portrait of one of India’s most audacious financial frauds. Scam 2003 The Telgi Story -2023- Web Series
Unlike traditional violent criminals, Telgi used financial incentives as his primary weapon. The show brilliantly illustrates his philosophy: "Share the wealth to grow the wealth." He bought loyalty by offering massive bribes, ensuring everyone involved became a stakeholder in his silence. : Riar delivers a phenomenal, transformative performance
The series traces the life of Abdul Karim Telgi (played by Gagan Dev Riar), starting from his humble beginnings selling fruit at Khanapur railway station. Following the monumental success of Scam 1992: The
Inspired by journalist Sanjay Singh's book Telgi Scam: Reporter's Ki Diary , the series follows the protagonist's journey over two decades. It details Telgi’s early struggles as a fruit seller, his move to Mumbai, and his initial foray into forging passports. The narrative takes a pivotal turn when Telgi lands in jail for a minor forgery. There, he meets a fellow inmate, Kaushal Zaveri, who introduces him to the rudimentary art of reusing revenue stamps.
To understand the series, one must understand the crime. Unlike the stock market manipulations of Harshad Mehta, the Telgi scam was tactile, analog, and shockingly simple. Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Abdul Karim Telgi and his network produced counterfeit stamp paper—official non-judicial stamps required for property deals, agreements, and legal documents.