When we are faced with works like Scam 1992, The Wolf of the Wall Street, and The Big Short, the morally distorted character in the middle of the story becomes more acceptable than ever. In this way, Mosagalu did not try to lighten the characters of Wisnu Manchu and Kajal Aggarwal.
The Telugu film Mosagallu is based on one of the biggest scams in modern Indian history:
The IRS call center scam. This is the story of a fake call center missile that scammed Americans for an estimated $ 300 million. Arjun, played by Wisnu Manchu, a film writer, works at a call center. He collects personal data about his callers and sells them to black networks for money. His twin brother Anu (played by Kajal Aggarwal) is only 10 seconds older than him. She was separated from her abusive husband and lived with her brother.
Arjun and his boss Vijay (Navdeep) develop a plan using their experience in the call center. The plan is simple: call in Americans posing as tax collectors (IRS) who file tax offenses. And threaten arrest until they fix the dispute through pegging.
To commit such a scam, one has to be very smart and well prepared. Because one wrong move can send them to jail. However, Arjun and his company pick Americans out of a dirty garage in Hyderabad and hope to make easy money. Arjun seems to believe in on-the-job training.
And it takes a team of wise all day unsuccessful trying to realize they need a script to answer counter questions from their unsuspecting victims. The way the characters run their businesses is so ridiculous that it’s hard to believe that such a scam could have occurred. Yes, this film brings out all the intelligence and cunning brains behind the 2016 Mumbai IRS scam.
Mosagalu has an exciting premise for making films about excess and greed, such as The Wolf of Wall Street.
Instead, the film takes a dramatic path and does so for children who yearn for their parents’ approval and for parents who are somehow forever disappointed in their offspring.
The film is betrayed by a lack of understanding of the fraud and transaction details that led to hundreds of Americans buying gift cards on iTunes to resolve their tax disputes. Instead of being honest, Vishnu becomes melodramatic as the protagonist contemplates the existential problems and futility of excessive wealth. Adding to our suffering are Anu’s constant apologies about why she and her brother shouldn’t feel guilty about making money illegally. This film is neither philosophical nor clever.
Hollywood director Jeffrey G. Chin is the director of Mosagalu. He’s got a pretty impressive résumé. According to IMDb, he appears to have worked with several well-known international directors and has been involved in the production of successful TV shows such as “Billions” and “Snowfall.” And the trailer for the award-winning short film Lil Tokyo Reporter gives the impression of a director with a unique taste and understanding of cinema.
However, his first feature film, Mosagalu, fell short of Jeffrey’s autobiographical promises. The film lacks clever scripts, advanced narrative techniques, and a unique visual style that is the director’s basic expectation and emanates from Hollywood.
The best thing about Mosagalu was the last part of the third half. The writing and performance here are excellent. The film, however, reduces that punch again. Given that this is a true story, the ending may be inevitable.
Come to think of it, the film’s impact was not as significant as promised. With the rise of fraudulent films, films like Mosagalu have had to trick audiences, not only with the idea of cheating but also by storytelling. And sadly, that is not the case here.