10 Scam 2003-like shows on OTT: Jamtara, Maharani, Shiksha Mandal and more

Scam 2003, which has released on Sony Liv today, is the second instalment in the ‘Scam‘ series. This show is about Abdul Karim Telgi, a fruit seller that manages to build an empire by making counterfeit stamp paper and fake passports. It’s based on Sanjay Singh’s book Telgi Scam: Reporter’s Diary, and developed by Hansal Mehta, the creator behind the first series in the franchise, Scam: 1992. 

Scam: 1992 is undoubtedly one of the most popular Indian web series, and the second part is expected to enthral viewers the same way. But if you’ve already binged on the second instalment and you’re craving for more, here’s a list of Scam 2003-like shows that you can check out. 

Scam 2003-like shows on OTT

Jamtara

This crime drama is based in the district of Jamtara in Jharkhand. It’s about a group of young boys who run a phishing scam, and manage to pull it off quite successfully. But the fate of these boys change when a corrupt politician wants a share of their business as well. The first season of the show was released in 2020, and it was renewed for another season that relesed last year. 

• Jamtara IMDb rating – 7.3
• Jamtara cast –Amit Sial, Sparsh Srivastav, Monika Panwar
• Jamtara release date – January 10th, 2020
• Where to watch – Netflix

Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket

This isn’t a fictional web drama but it’s actually a sports documentary on India’s biggest match-fixing scandal. Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket a must-watch for cricket fans in India as the documentary uncovers big names involved in the scandal, and the journalists who expose the corruption behind the popular game. 

• Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket IMDb rating – 5.9
• Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket cast –Aniruddha Bahal, Sharda Ugra, Sriram Karri
• Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket release date – March 17th, 2023
• Where to watch – Netflix
  

Bad Boy Billionnaires: India

This is another documentary that you can check out, and it’s about India’s most infamous business tycoons. Bad Boy Billionaires: India a docuseries with three episodes about Kingfisher Airlines’  Vijay Mallya, Sahara India’s Subrata Roy, Gitanjali Group’s Nirav Modi and Satyam Computers’ Ramalinga Raju. 

• Bad Boy Billionnaires: India IMDb rating – 7.9
• Bad Boy Billionnaires: India cast – Subrata Roy, Aayush Ailawadi, Nirav Modi
• Bad Boy Billionnaires: India release date – October 5th, 2020
• Where to watch – Netflix 
  

Maharani

Maharani is a web series that showcases the 90s political scene of Bihar. There are two seasons of the show with the first one talking about events between 1995 and 1999. The second season of Maharani takes place from mid-1999, and both parts have been inspired from real life events and characters. So you’ll get to see much of what transpired in Bihar involving left-wing militants, Naxalite groups, the Communist Party of India Liberation, and more.

• Maharani IMDb rating – 7.9
• Maharani cast –Huma Qureshi, Sohum Shah, Amit Sial
• Maharani release date – May 28th, 2021
• Where to watch – SonyLIV
  

Shiksha Mandal

Shiksha Mandal is another web series that is based on true events in India. It’s about uncovering one of the biggest medical entrance exam scams in India, the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh. As part of this scam, there were fake entrance exams, admissions, answer sheets, and even fake hiring with politicians, senior officials and businessmen involved in it.

• Shiksha Mandal IMDb rating – 6.4
• Shiksha Mandal cast – Gauahar Khan, Gulshan Devaiah, Pawan Malhotra
• Shiksha Mandal release date – September 15th, 2022
• Where to watch – MX Player
  

The Whistleblower

If you want another story on education scams then you can check out The Whistleblower. It’s about an intern doctor, Sanket, who gets involved in this massive education racket. But in the process he loses his father, and his fiancé also leaves him. He then goes on a hunt to find his father’s killer by becoming a whistleblower who uncovers all the deep secrets behind this racket, and reveals them. 

• The Whistleblower IMDb rating – 7.5
• The Whistleblower cast – Ritwik Bhowmik, Ravi Kishan, Ankita Sharma
• The Whistleblower release date – December 16th, 2021
• Where to watch – SonyLIV

Inside Edge

This might seem a little old but it’s one to definitely check out, especially if you’re into cricket. The show is based on Mumbai Mavericks, a T20 cricket franchise that’s playing in the Powerplay League, and whose owners run a large spot-fixing scheme. There are three seasons of Inside Edge that explores what goes on behind the game involving money, greed, and power. 

• Inside Edge IMDb rating – 7.9
• Inside Edge cast – Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha, Tanuj Virwani
• Inside Edge release date – July 9th, 2017
• Where to watch – Amazon Prime Video

Tamil Rockerz

As the name might suggest, this isn’t about a rock band. The story is about the torrent site Tamil Rockers that actually exists in India, and is known to illegally supply movies, shows, songs, and videos. It’s based on real-life incidents with the show about a special team of cyber forensic officers who are on the hunt to find Tamil Rockerz, and prevent a film called ‘Garuda’ from leaking online. 

• Tamil Rockerz IMDb rating – 6.6
• Tamil Rockerz cast – Ramesh Thilaganathan, Arun Vijay, Iswarya Menon
• Tamil Rockerz release date – August 19th, 2022
• Where to watch – SonyLIV

Money Mafia

If you can’t get enough of crime documentaries then you should definitely watch Money Mafia. It’s a documentary crime series on Discovery+ where the first season explores eight of the biggest con stories in India. You’ll find out about Ponzi schemes, cyber frauds, call center scams and more through this show. There are three seasons of Money Mafia with the latest one having released last year. 

• Money Mafia IMDb rating – 7.6
• Money Mafia cast – Sudhanshu Pandita, Lovennist
• Money Mafia release date – August 3rd, 2021
• Where to watch – Discovery+

Scam 1992

Scam 1992 can be called the first season of the series, which brings the infamous 1992 Indian stock market scam to reel life. It’s based on the book The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away written by journalist Sucheta Dalal and Debashish Basu. The show focuses on Harshad Mehta, one of the many stockbrokers who were part of the stock market scam. 

• Scam 1992 IMDb rating – 7.5
• Scam 1992 cast – Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pratik Gandhi, Ashwini Kulkarni
• Scam 1992 release date – October 9th, 2020
• Where to watch – SonyLIV