Scoop to Shahid: Hansal Mehta’s must-watch films and series based on true stories

Noted filmmaker Hansal Mehta is known for his impactful stories that draw inspiration from life itself. Be it the Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao-starrer Aligarh or Faraaz, featuring newbies Zahan Kapoor and Aditya Rawal. The director is currently making headlines for his latest offering - a crime drama series based on the journalist Jigna Vora’s biographical memoir Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison. Streaming on Netflix, Scoop has garnered a lot of appreciation from critics and the audience alike. 

Here’s a list of Hansal’s most memorable movies and series inspired by real-life events. 

Scoop

In the crime drama series Scoop (2023), Karishma Tanna’s character (Jagruti Pathak) is based on journalist Jigna Vora’s incarceration and acquittal. It chronicles the story of Jigna, who was accused of killing Mid-Day reporter Jyotirmoy Dey in June 2011. The series also stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Harman Baweja, alongside Prosenjit Chatterjee, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deven Bhojani.

Faraaz 

Faraaz (2023) - starring Zahan Kapoor and Aditya Rawal - follows Faraaz Ayaz Hussain, a student, who was caught amid the 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack. Also featuring an ensemble cast - that includes Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali, Jatin Sarin and Pallak Lalwani - the plot follows the July 2016 terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery that shook Bangladesh.

Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story 

Starring Pratik Gandhi, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020) is a biographical financial thriller series, inspired by the 1992 Indian stock market scam committed by Harshad Mehta, among several other stockbrokers. It’s an adaptation of journalist Sucheta Dalal and Debashish Basu’s 1992 book, titled The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away. The series also features Shreya Dhanwanthary, Satish Kaushik, Anant Mahadevan, Rajat Kapoor, KK Raina and Lalit Parimoo, among others.

Omerta 

Omerta (2017) chronicles the life of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British terrorist of Pakistani descent. Rajkummar Rao plays the titular role in the movie, alongside Timothy Ryan Hickernell, Rajesh Tailang and Rupinder Nagra. The story is based on the 1994 kidnappings of Westerners in India, for which Omar was arrested. He was accused of plotting of murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Simran 

With Kangana Ranaut playing the lead character, Simran (2017) is a heist drama film inspired by the story of a divorcee, named Sandeep Kaur, who lost her savings in gambling. Also featuring Hiten Kumar, Kishori Shahane and Sohum Shah, the film chronicles the life of Praful Patel (aka ‘Simran Murar - The Lipstick Bandit’), who after being unable to repair a loan finds herself drawn into a life of crime.

Aligarh 

Aligarh (2015) is inspired by the true story of Ramchandra Siras, a professor of Marathi and the Head of the Classical Modern Indian Languages Faculty at Aligarh Muslim University, who was suspended on grounds of morality. Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao play the key roles, alongside Ashish Vidyarthi and Ishwak Singh.  

Shahid 

Starring Rajkummar Rao, Shahid (2012) follows the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010. The movie also features Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur in key roles.