The List: Media Bloodbath in Covid Times (Character Sketches)

Manish

Manish is Resident Editor of the Chandigarh edition of ‘The Whistle-blower’. One fine day during the Covid-19 lockdown, he gets a midnight-call from his Editor-in-Chief who asks him to prepare a list of 15 staffers to be fired soon. Facing a moral dilemma, he knows very well that if he fails to do the dirty job, he himself will be on the list.

Ritu

Ritu is a concerned and conscientious wife of Manish, who does not want her husband to fire his subordinates during a time of crisis.

Boss

Boss (Editor-in-Chief) is a ruthless fellow who wants his orders to be complied with and he is not the person who would listen to any excuses or reasoning.

Rajni

Rajni, HR head at the Chandigarh office of ‘The Whistle-blower’, is as ruthless as one can get in her position. She does not even believe in sugar-quoting what she says.

Jagbir Singh

Jagbir, an ace reporter at the ‘The Whistle-blower', gets the shock of his life when he is told that he is on the list of staffers to be fired.

Sarabjit Kaur

Sarabjit Kaur, a senior editorial staffer, who has given 18 years of her career to the organisation, gets only five minutes to decide if she would like to resign or be sacked.

Shashank Verma

Shashank Verma, despite knowing that his fate is sealed, is desperate to hang on to the job as he has taken a bank loan to fund higher studies of his son. 

Neetu Bhatia

Neetu Bhatia is a young reporter of ‘The Whistle-blower’, who is pregnant and her husband has already lost the job in the Covid crisis. While trying to save her job, she realises that she is dealing with the people who are mercenaries.