The Broken News review: Jaideep Ahlawat steals the show in this newsroom drama

An adaptation of the British drama series Press, the eight-part series The Broken News, starring Sonali Bendre and Jaideep Ahlawat, takes us behind the scenes of a newsroom as two rival news channels embody conflicting principles, which leads to a fierce rivalry.

Indian news channels Awaaz Bharati News and Josh 24/7, present two diametrically opposite approaches to the news. The former is headed by Amina Qureshi (Sonali Bendre), an upstanding journalist, who takes her ethics seriously and abides by them. Supported by an understanding and idealistic boss (Kiran Kumar), the channel largely sticks to its guns in the face of falling TRPs and a financial crunch.

Dipankar Sanyal (Jaideep Ahlawat) on the other hand, heads Josh 24/7 and is the architect of the thrillers and family entertainment dramas that tend to pass off as news nowadays. With a flagrant disregard for even common decency, he fashions the channel to his liking. Between these two poles, lies a firebrand reporter Radha Bhargava (Shriya Pilgaonkar). A part of Qureshi’s team, her idealism to always do the right thing leads her into dangerous territory. 

We see the stark distinction between the two channels. His is a dictatorial space while hers is a team effort with strong foundations but both need to acknowledge that channels need resources to run. He delivers well-cooked stories with masala to audiences and she presents the facts as they are. But, as Dipankar says, “The world doesn’t work on ideals but deals”. Aware of his monopoly on the TRPs and the power of his channel, Dipankar sits on a throne of his fashioning yet is tinged with the desire to get the hard-hitting stories, leading him to pursue Radha. 

The series takes us into the rapacious world of media channels who would stoop to anything to grab eyeballs. The manipulation of the narrative, its tenuous hold on the facts, the channels playing judge, jury and executioner, and the weaving of an intricate web that blurs the idea of fact and fiction, are all brought into sharp relief. Issues like the MeToo movement, the deep nexus between politicians and media houses, electoral bonds, lynch mobs, surveillance and the power of social media are also seamlessly woven in.

The series presents a strong premise with the early episodes setting the context ably. However, it begins to lose steam and starts to meander. The script becomes sketchy, especially with Operation Umbrella, a mammoth covert undertaking which steers the series into becoming a thriller, spiralling downwards towards predictability. Despite best intentions, there is a lack of emotional connect with the characters, which is displeasing because the issues being taken up are so pertinent and would rouse our sentiments.

On another note, why is everyone so serious and grim? Yes, news is serious business and sure, people have complicated lives but other than one character, Kamal, who breathes some life and comic relief, there seems little room for liveliness or even regular lives. One wishes to see the team dynamics in the newsroom and the central characters outside of their fire-fighting mode, which would have made this a full-bodied series.

Ahlawat’s riveting performance is what carries the show. With a languorous gait, he courts disaster with panache, and a keen awareness of his power. Bendre too gives a spirited performance as a passionate journalist committed to doing her job with sensitivity. Nonetheless, her character needs more teeth as being the best journalist in the country, she navigates a shifting terrain. Shriya Pilgaonkar offers an earnest portrayal as Radha, but through most of the series her performance is played on a high-pitch, which becomes a tad tiresome.

Vinay Waikul’s newsroom drama has its moments and hits some right notes, delving into crucial issues. One comes away wishing for a more committed, incisive series and the pity is that it has all the right ingredients to have been so.

The Broken News is being streamed on Zee5.