There are many investigative dramas involving journalists that stumble upon stories unexpectedly and end up discovering a mountain worth of data that could inconvenience some very important people. Despatch is one such story coming from the impeccable writer-director Kanu Behl. The lead of the show is a crime beat journalist who finds an interesting story and wants to dig up more intel to make it a headline for his newspaper. There are many characters that get involved in his quest to get to the bottom of his investigation and find legitimate answers.
Spoilers Ahead
Joy Bag
Actor par extraordinaire, Manoj Bajpayee is Joy Bag, the leading crime beat journalist with ‘Despatch,’ the daily newspaper. Despatch is struggling financially, but initially Joy is unaffected by it until he realizes there are ownership related matters that might render him out of work. Joy is keen on getting to the bottom of the murder of a gangster to uncover any links to the D-Company operating from across the country. He stumbles upon another story during the murder investigation and believes the second story has more potential to create some noise in the public, gaining ‘Despatch’ some market credibility and improving their sales. Joy is also a womanizer who is having an affair with his colleague, Prerna. Both are in love, and Joy is planning to leave his wife, Shweta, for her. Shweta and Joy are not on good terms. His mother and brother not liking her is the concern. He has developed a hatred for his wife to the point that he cannot spend a moment with her anymore. Joy flies way too close to the sun in his greed to find more details about the second story that involves the 2G scam and the Indian Premier League. Is Joy going to hurt himself in the process of digging deeper into these stories? That is what makes the story of Despatch.
Prerna Prakash
Archita Agarwal portrays the role of Prerna Prakash, Joy’s colleague at Despatch. She is also his lover, and they have been having an affair for a long time. She is aware he is married and has been helping him with finishing his book. Joy and Prerna are actively looking for a place to live together, indicating that he is willing to leave his wife for her. Prerna, however, is frustrated with the way he handles things, and ends up breaking up with him for a brief period of time. Prerna and Joy come back together after a while, but he keeps her away from his work that involves investigating the 2G scam and Indian Premier League; both of them are connected to the GDR papers that were stolen from the Mumbai vigilance office. Prerna is excited to start her life with Joy, but his desperation to find answers about these scams is putting their life on hold.
Shweta Bag
The amazing Shahana Goswami is Shweta Bag, the helpless wife in a loveless marriage with Joy. She goes out of her way to make her marriage work, but Joy is not keen on putting in any effort. Unlike him, she is willing to give it a chance, and in that effort, she shares her desire to have a child. Joy dismisses her and walks away, proving that he is not keen on having a child with her. Shweta shows up in Delhi, where he is busy with an assignment regarding his investigation. This makes Joy beyond livid, as he finds her in his room and throws her out, stating he needs a divorce. Shweta is still not aware of what has gone wrong in their relationship, but she suspects him of having an affair. Shweta is the wife who is expected to make sacrifices for the sake of their marriage and is blamed when his mother and brother choose to leave their house.Â
Noori
Rituparna Sen portrays the role of Noori, a crime journalist who has worked with Joy in the past. Noori is willing to help him when he asks for more details about the GDR papers. Noori and Joy’s interaction indicates that they may have been romantically involved in the past. She goes out of her way to help him, only to ask if the report on the GDR papers will be out in both their names in both the newspapers they work for. Just like Joy, Noori is not aware how dark the pit will be as they keep digging deeper into the GDR papers that involve the 2G scam and the Indian Premier League scandal.
Suresh
Arun Behl portrays the role of Suresh Contractor, who is Noori’s informer. He works for the Rajan gang, which is a rival to the D-company. He is the person who is willing to help Joy initially, but soon he learns the journalist is trying to get too close to the gang for his article. Suresh warns Joy and Noori not to mess with the gangsters as they might retaliate.
