'The Hunt For Veerappan' Opens To Good Response, Internet Calls It ‘Best Thing India Has Made’

Veerappan, a notorious bandit and sandalwood smuggler, was killed in a raid by the Special Task Force in 2004, over 20 years after he started his "reign" in the forests of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.?

The Hunt For Veerappan, a four-part documentary directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, is currently available on Netflix and examines the rise and fall of the bandit. The documentary is becoming popular among viewers. It is mostly told from the perspective of investigative journalist Sunaad Raghuram, and includes interviews with Veerappan's widow, Muthulakshmi, former STF personnel, and Veerappan gang members.

Twitter

Reacting to the docuseries, one wrote, “I remember the hunt for Veerappan as I was working in Delhi at the time. It featured on the TV and in newspapers most days, often with lurid headlines, as did his death.”

A second added, “The Hunt For Veerappan on @NetflixIndia is a chilling reminder for how a poacher Veerappan became India’s most dangerous criminal and cost the nation a staggering amount. At the heart of it poverty and a lack of development in India’s hinterlands.”

A third wrote, “watching the hunt for veerappan and let me just say there’s really no difference between veerappan and the police.”

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?Koose Munisamy Veerappan was known as one of the most fearsome Indian bandits who eventually became a terrorist.?

For 36 years, he was a wanted felon who kidnapped prominent politicians in exchange for money. He was accused of crimes like poaching elephants from scrub and woods and bringing sandalwood into the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The Indian terrorist, who was also wanted for those crimes, killed about 184 people, mostly police officers and forest officials.

The official synopsis for the show reads, "For 17 years, Veerappan was the subject of India's longest and costliest manhunt. The cinematic series delves into the unseen and unheard, presenting firsthand accounts from individuals close to Veerappan and those who tirelessly sought to capture him. From shedding light on the authorities’ struggle to apprehend him to providing a political and social commentary that reveals the politics of disparity, the docu-series unravels his captivating tale and the disorder that ensued."

The Hunt For Veerappan is now streaming on Netflix.

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