Soumendra Padhi's next reveals what is (phi)shy in Jamtara

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After his Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Budhia Singh - Born to Run (2016), based on Orissa's youngest marathon runner, Soumendra Padhi is set to bring forth the crime drama, Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega.

The web series, which drops on Netflix today, is inspired by true events in a village in Jharkhand, considered to be India's phishing hub. mid-day had previously reported about the ongoings in Jamtara in a 2017 issue.

Padhi was inspired to make the show after reading newspaper reports about a village, Karma Tanr, in Jamtara. "I was astonished to know that most of these youngsters, despite dropping out of school, have the acumen to dupe unsuspecting people and siphon off lakhs, if not crores of rupees, from accounts. I was told that one of the guys used to work at a call centre in Bengaluru. He knew the advantages of phishing; now, it is considered a lucrative business in the region."

Soumendra Padhi

A visit to Karma Tanr proved to be an eye-opener for the director. "I was shocked to see their lifestyle. Easy money has afforded them an extravagant lifestyle. Most of them live in bungalows fancier than that of Amitabh Bachchan; they all have the latest state-of-the art gadgets too. Making fraudulent calls is as easy as making any other call, for them. The show focusses on a group of young men running a lucrative phishing operation till a corrupt politician and a cop make their life difficult. "

The cast includes Amit Sial, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Aksha Pardhasany. "We shot in Jamtara and Nashik. There are several local actors from Jharkhand, and some from the National School of Drama, among the cast," says Padhi.

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