Sony LIV Confirms ‘Scam 2010’ Production Will Go Ahead Despite Legal Threat
Sony LIV has confirmed that production of Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga, the third instalment of its Scam crime drama franchise, will proceed despite a legal threat from Sahara India Pariwar. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) said it has secured the rights to the series, based on Tamal Bandyopadhyay's book, and filming has now begun. The move matters because Sahara, founded by the late businessman Subrata Roy, had warned the fictionalised depiction could affect its ongoing dispute with India's securities regulator, SEBI.
SPNI's CEO Gaurav Banerjee said he believed the issue had been resolved, and a company representative told Deadline that all necessary rights to the book were in place. Sahara had previously branded the 2024 announcement "abusive" and aimed at "cheap and wide publicity". Roy, who founded Sahara in 1978 and died in 2023, was arrested in 2014 amid long-standing allegations of financial irregularities. Director Hansal Mehta returns for the project with Applause Entertainment and Sony's Studio Next, with Siddharth Bodke reportedly cast as Roy alongside Kritika Singh, Moon Banerjee and Aditya Srivastava.
In short
- Sony LIV confirms Scam 2010 is filming despite Sahara's legal threat
- SPNI says it holds full rights to the source book
- Hansal Mehta returns to direct; Siddharth Bodke plays Subrata Roy
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Sony's decision rests on the legitimate principle that dramatised storytelling about documented public figures and matters of genuine regulatory concern should not be suppressed. Subrata Roy's financial dealings are extensively documented in published journalism and the book on which the series is based, and the company has secured proper legal rights. Freedom of expression in adapting real events serves the public interest, and the previous Scam instalments have responsibly dramatised consequential cases affecting Indian citizens.
The case against
Sahara's concerns merit serious consideration because the company remains in active litigation with SEBI regarding the very conduct the series will dramatise, and a high-profile entertainment production reaching millions could prejudicially influence regulatory and judicial proceedings at a critical moment. Dramatisation inevitably introduces creative interpretation beyond factual reporting, potentially unfairly portraying a company still defending itself; there is a meaningful distinction between press reporting and entertainment corporations dramatising real parties in ongoing legal disputes.
Explained simply
Sahara India Pariwar is a large Indian business group founded by Subrata Roy in 1978. The group has been involved in a long-running dispute with India’s securities regulator, SEBI, over allegations of financial irregularities; Roy was arrested in 2014 and died in 2023.
Scam 2010 is a planned drama about Roy and Sahara, based on a book by journalist Tamal Bandyopadhyay. It is part of Sony LIV’s Scam series, directed by Hansal Mehta, which dramatises real financial cases. The story matters because Sahara has said a fictionalised portrayal could affect its dispute with SEBI.
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