Mumbai: Cricket holds the spirit and stature of godliness amongst every Indian. And what happens when this so-called godly game, ain’t so godly anymore? It shatters everything – conceptions, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Caught Out, the latest Netflix documentary has got everyone chatting about it, for obvious reasons – the story of match-fixing in the gentleman’s game in the year 2000.

Indiantelevision.com caught up with the debutant director of Caught Out, Supriya Sobti Gupta to talk about the film, about her journalism days, about the strategic scheduling of the film considering it made it in time for the IPL, and more.

Watching Caught Out is an experience in itself. It’s a beautifully carved-out film which explains the nuances of the biggest betting scam in the cricketing world in the simplest manner, covering the minutest of details. The sting operation, the involvement of the CBI and the reporters trying to get their hands on the biggest sports story ever – all make it for an effervescent watch.

Caught Out is a co-production between award-winning Passion Pictures UK and independent media production company MOW Productions in India. This gripping film has an even more fascinating story behind it – that of Gupta being hands-on with the film while expecting her twins; all this at a time when especially less than 10 per cent of women are said to occupy roles as HODs in the Indian film industry. Megha Mathur (MOW Productions) is the producer of the film.

Gupta is an Indian film producer and director, and founder of MOW Productions, a boutique film production house with offices in Mumbai and Delhi.

She has trained as a broadcast journalist producing news and long-form documentaries that speak truth to power. Her recent work has revolved around issues of social relevance in India.

Gupta is known for telling bold stories that promote public interest journalism and address issues of gender representation in the media. She forayed into the infotainment space with award-winning and notable productions such as Chef’s Table and Bad Boy Billionaires and recently produced a feature-length documentary titled Mumbai Mafia that is streaming on Netflix.

Edited excerpts:

What do you find fulfilling - the journalism days or now telling relevant stories on screen?

Telling stories that matter, stories that are of public and human interest that can serve as conversation starters and hopefully be of impact is what interests me as a filmmaker. We live in a time where the need to tell stories of ordinary people who live extraordinary lives is the need of the hour as these are the people who will be role models for the generations to come. Fortunately, in India there's inspiration all around - story and scenery wise which means you can have a film that is deep, touches all chords and is packed with visual splendour.

Your two productions Chef's Table and Bad Boy Billionaires - how did they come about? What was the story behind Mumbai Mafia?

Chef's Table was the first production for Netflix that I ever worked on. It was an episode on British Asian chef Asma Khan who was an absolute delight to work with. 

There's a certain way to work with talent and that is something that I, in the capacity of a local producer and my company MOW Productions as the local production company, were able to ace. We went on to work with Asma on some other projects too, which bears testimony to that fact.

Around the same time I was approached by a former BBC colleague of mine to work on developing the Bad Boy Billionaires series which very quickly went from me doing some research and development work to becoming a full fledged producer on the series. Bad Boy Billionaires was helmed by Reva Sharma and Francis Longhurst at Minnow FIlms, a production company in the UK.

Mumbai Mafia is an incredible film which again relied heavily on access that I was able to successfully negotiate. These stories are not easy to be told but through our A-list storytellers, we were able to give our audience front row seats in the lives of encounter cops and reformed criminals - which is no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination. It involved perseverance, regular conversations, and a huge leap of faith on behalf of the contributors which thankfully they were able to take. I produced the film while my company MOW Productions provided an expert team of crew members and logistics on the ground. 

Incidentally, Caught Out, which is my directorial debut was commissioned by my former colleagues Reva Sharma, and Francis Longhurst was one of the executive producers of the film. 

Caught out a documentary on the biggest scandal that shook the cricketing world - what was the thought behind doing this after so many years? 

Caught Out is a retrospective film but the film throws light on a historic event, the 2000 cricket match fixing scandal that shook the world of global cricket. This happened at a time when we worshipped our cricketers. They were akin to god and then although briefly, everything came crashing down! I think it's a story that is relevant till date because it changed the trajectory of Indian cricket; it was after the 2000 match fixing scandal that the BCCI and ICC took notice of the dangers lurking around the sport and went on to establish anti-corruption units to tackle the problem of match-fixing. 

Thereafter, the players were educated and till date, our research suggests, whenever a new player is inducted into any team (national or league level), they are taken through a module that builds their awareness on potentially vulnerable situations they may find themselves in.

The impact of the 2000 match-fixing scandal carries lessons for sportsmen and women not just in cricket but across all fields today.

You are talking about social relevance in India - can you elaborate?

Caught Out, although set in 2000, has social relevance in India today particularly with WPL launching. 

It carries lessons for sportsmen and women not just in cricket but across all fields -  to maintain discipline and good conduct when one reaches the top or in a position of power. Our research suggests that whenever a new player is inducted into any team (national cricket or league level), they are taken through a module that builds their awareness on potential vulnerable situations they may find themselves in.

Is the film generating eye balls and great reviews as it is timed right before the IPL?

Despite shedding light on the dark underbelly of cricket, the film has receieved adulation from all quarters for it's brave and honest attempt to unpack details of the 2000 match-fixing scandal that didn't only impact cricket in India but had global ramifications. The film is an ode to the unsung heroes of the time, ordinary people who did extraordinary things by sticking their necks out as they investigated the dirty dealings in what's known to be the gentleman's game.  The journalists and investigators are the real heroes who have for the first time ever, spoken in grave detail about what it was like for them to blow the lid on the corruption in cricket that too at a time when cricketers were akin to God.

We can only hope that the film's release around the next edition of the IPL encourages conversation around infamy in cricket and what needs doing for corruption to be completely weeded out.