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Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

TV SERIES · 2020–2020 · INDIA

Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

Created by
Hansal Mehta
Network
SonyLIV
Seasons
1
Episodes
10
Studio
Applause Entertainment

24 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Set in 1980's & 90's Bombay, Scam 1992 follows the life of Harshad Mehta - a stockbroker who single-handedly took the stock market to dizzying heights & his catastrophic downfall. Being directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta, the series is based on journalist Debashis Basu & Sucheta Dalal's book "The Scam".

  • Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story — production image

24 Interesting Facts About Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

Interesting Facts (9)

  1. #001

    Chandraswami (Swamiji in the web series) was the spiritual adviser to Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. He was alleged to have been involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Chandraswami is said to have given spiritual advice to the Sultan of Brunei, Bahraini Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, actress Elizabeth Taylor, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, crime lord and underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim, Mit Mody and Tiny Rowland.

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  2. #002

    The character Ajay Kedia is based on Ajay Kayan, who ran the Kolkata-based brokerage firm C. Mackertich together with his father, Gouri Shankar Kayan.

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  3. #003

    The closing song of the final episode is "Mat kar maya ko ahankar, mat kar kaya ko ghamand, kaya gaar se kaachi" (Do not take pride in your wealth or in your body, for this body is weaker than clay on a potter's wheel).

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  4. #004

    Tyagi's character is based on A. S. Thiyagarajan. At the time the series was made, he served as Regional Head at Citi Bank. As of 2022, he is the MD of Aquarius Investment Advisors Private Limited.

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  5. #005

    The role of Bhushan is inspired by Ketan Parikh, an intern at Harshad Mehta's firm Growmore, who later carried out another fraud that was also exposed by Suchita Dalal.

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  6. #006

    Sharad Bhillari, who worked in the public relations department of SBI bank, was the first person to inform Sucheta Dalal about the fraud carried out by Harshad. This role was played in the series by Sharib Hashmi. In fact, the series begins here.

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  7. #007

    Chandraswami (Swamiji in the web series) was the spiritual adviser to Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. He was alleged to have been involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

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  8. #008

    After directing a short film in 2017, Jai Mehta became a full-fledged director with this series.

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  9. #009

    Both Shreya Dhanwanthary and Sharib Hashmi appeared in the web series The Family Man, released on Amazon Prime.

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Production Story (11)

  1. #010

    It is adapted from the book The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away, written by Debhasis Basu and Sucheta Dalal.

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  2. #011

    After directing a short film in 2017, Jai Mehta stepped into full-fledged directing with this series.

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  3. #012

    The character Ajay Kedia is inspired by Ajay Kayan, who ran the Kolkata-based brokerage firm C. Mackertich together with his father, Gouri Shankar Kayan.

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  4. #013

    The character Tyagi is based on A. S. Thiyagarajan. At the time in which the series is set, he was the regional manager of Citi Bank. As of 2022, he is the managing director of Aquarius Investment Advisors Private Limited.

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  5. #014

    Kavin Dave plays the character Rakesh, who is inspired by the Indian businessman and investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.

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  6. #015

    Maheshwari, played by the comic actor Paresh Ganatra, is based on Radhakishan Damani, the founder of the DMart supermarket chain. Damani left the stock market around 2000.

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  7. #016

    Sharad Bhillari, who worked in the public relations department of SBI bank, was the first person to give Sucheta Dalal information about the scandal Harshad was running. This role was played by Sharib Hashmi in the series. In fact, the series begins at this point.

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  8. #017

    The series was adapted from the book 'The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away', written by journalists Debhasis Basu and Sucheta Dalal. The book examines the Harshad Mehta scandal in depth.

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  9. #018

    The series was a turning point in the careers of Sharib Hashmi and Pratik Gandhi. The pair became well known through this production and received many film offers.

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  10. #019

    Chandraswami, who appears as Swamiji in the series, was the spiritual adviser to Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. Chandraswami, who was alleged to have been involved in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, is said to have given spiritual advice to figures such as the Sultan of Brunei, the King of Bahrain Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the actress Elizabeth Taylor, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, mafia boss Dawood Ibrahim, Mit Mody and Tiny Rowland.

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  11. #020

    The words 'Mat kar maya ko ahankar, mat kar kaya ko ghamand, kaya gaar se kaachi' (Do not take pride in your wealth, do not be arrogant about your body, for this body is weaker than the clay on a potter's wheel), heard in the final episode, belong to the legendary 15th-century poet and saint Kabir.

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Characters & Cast (3)

  1. #021

    Kavin Dave plays Rakesh, a role based on the Indian businessman and investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.

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  2. #022

    Director Hansal Mehta offered Pratik Gandhi the lead role after watching his performances in the Gujarati films 'Bey Yaar' and 'Wrong Side Raju'.

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  3. #023

    Manu Mundra, played by the late actor Satish Kaushik, was based on Manu Manek, who was also called the ringleader and head of the bear cartel. He held enormous power within the BSE. Among his followers/protégés were Rakesh Jhunjhunwala (played by Kavin Dave) and Radha Kishan Damani (played by Paresh Ganatra), both of whom went on to become 2 of India's top investors. No verifiable photograph of Manu Manek exists, as he avoided the spotlight and the media. It is stated that he left the stock market because of technological developments and that he no longer exists today.

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #024

    Sucheta Dalal's disabled secret source "Karamchand" was none other than Ram Chandra Agarwal, the founder of Vishal Mega Mart.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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