In ZEE5 Global’s The Broken News Season 2, director Vinay Waikul has strived to showcase an authentic portrayal of the world of journalism. Combining it with a myriad of incidents that became hot pop-culture topics in the last few years, the new season becomes a compelling watch for eagle-eyed viewers and media aficionados.
Here are some of the bold real-life references and Easter eggs that elevates the Jaideep Ahlawat and Sonali Bendre-starrer gripping drama. Let’s see how many of them were spotted by you.
Fake drug case
In one of the episodes, the on-screen journalists are digging deep into a Bollywood superstar’s son getting framed in a fake drug case and being put in jail. Sounds familiar? A real-life case that made many headlines, the reference to this case further grounds the show into reality, while showcasing how some sections of media can go into deeps to bring out the ‘masala’ to fuel the story.
Bad mid-day meal
Another incident that has been ongoing is the case of bad mid-day meals at some of the government schools in India. The Broken News 2 sheds light on this incident referring to the chaos that bad meals at school create, leading to many children being admitted to the hospitals while authorities play the blame game.
![The Broken News 2: Did you miss these pop-culture references in the series? 1 Shriya Pilgaonkar plays the role of reporter Radha Bhargava in the series. Photo courtesy: ZEE5 Global](https://i0.wp.com/www.realtimeindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717435337_142_The-Broken-News-2-Did-you-miss-these-pop-culture-references.webp.webp?resize=696%2C464&ssl=1)
Based on real-life anchors
There’s no denying that the characters of the show – Josh 24X7’s Deepankar Sanyal (Ahlawat) and Awaz Bharti’s Ameena Qureshi (Bendre) – are modelled on some real-life news anchors. The star anchor of a pro-establishment channel snarkily calls his neutral rivals “intellectuals,” “leader of libtards,” “urban aatankwadi” and “antinational media”, in a portrayal of the current scene in India news channels.
Missing electoral bonds
Probably one of the most recent incidents and timed aptly with the ongoing Lok Saba elections in India, The Broken News 2 puts focus on a case where the mainstream channels ignore an electoral bonds scam.
An app that snoops
Another reference that saw the light of the day in the series is about an app that snoops on you through your phone. This concept has been prevalent not just in India, but globally, and further grounds the show in reality.
Stream The Broken News on ZEE5 Global now!