Money Mafia Episode 1 review - A promising start, but offers nothing new to an already popular story

The first episode on discovery+ titled Fake Stamp Paper: The King of Cons about the notorious Abdul Karim Telgi falls short of expectations as an informative documentary,

Money Mafia Season 3

Story: The episode focuses on the rise and fall of the person who is said to have amassed over hundreds of millions through counterfeiting stamp papers in the 90s.

Review: The episode starts off on a promising note, with great visuals, different colour grading and templates chosen for archival footage, dramaticized true events, and interviews. It perfectly blends into the narrative as the chronology of events transitions from one period of time to another. However, the decision to position the interviewees right in the centre of the frame looking straight into the camera gave the impression of an interrogation rather than an interview. The rule of thirds was abandoned and this particular style ended up being counterproductive.

The narrative of the documentary unfortunately offers just the bare minimum about the life and death of one of India’s most infamous fraudsters. Retired DGP of Karnataka, R. Sri Kumar, and investigative journalist Mandar Parab offer earnest versions of their involvement in the investigations. A brief history of Telgi’s life is offered by G A Bawa, retired DCP Bangalore, who led the team investigating him, which eventually led to his arrest. However, details regarding the investigation are vague at best except for a few anecdotes about where Telgi was arrested from and the bribes that were offered to the police officers. The only interviewee that was able to offer any sort of insight was, unsurprisingly, Anil Gote, the politician who was arrested for his alleged involvement with Telgi and the counterfeiting scam.

The interview of Jayant Tinaikar, a whistleblower and an activist, unfortunately, posed more questions than answers. His methods, how he received his intel, and what drove him on his mission to bring Telgi is not delved into, which is surprising considering he went bankrupt by the time Telgi ended up behind bars. Telgi’s time in jail which D Roopa Moudgil, former DIG of Prisons, Karnataka, claims during a formal visit to the prison discovered that it was more like a luxurious retreat than a punishment for Telgi. It allegedly had a well furnished jail cell which included a telephone and television, and people providing him various services for his daily needs. In fact, it was claimed that he was able to run his criminal empire from within the prison walls. Unfortunately, there is no further information the documentary is able to provide on how all this was possible.

It is also quite contradictory for the documentary to end with a suggesting note that Telgi was just a pawn in a ‘victimless crime’ in which politicians, bureaucrats, police officers, businessmen, and celebrities were involved, and that finally justice was served because he suffered a miserable death. The details surrounding his death and the investigations into those who were allegedly involved in it is hardly addressed. It could be argued that the narrative was constrained as a result of the half-an-hour runtime.

Verdict: There is definitely potential for the show to eventually become a success despite a wobbly start.

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