New Delhi: The trailer for The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case dropped Wednesday. The political thriller, which will stream from 4 July on Sony Liv, is based on the bestselling book Ninety Days by investigative journalist Anirudhya Mitra. It is directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor, and co-written by Rohit Banawalikar, Sriram Rajan, and Kukunoor.
Produced by Applause Entertainment, the web series looks at the events leading up to and after the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at a rally he was addressing in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on 21 May 1991. The production house has also bankrolled streaming originals like Netflix’s Black Warrant (2024), Jio Hotstar’s Criminal Justice and Sony Live’s Scam 1992 (2020) and Scam 2003 (2023).
The trailer of the series starts with a government official at the Indian High Commissioner’s office in Colombo receiving a phone call. A male voice asks, “Is Rajiv Gandhi alive?”, before he cuts the call, leaving the official in confusion. The trailer then shows glimpses of the special investigation team set up to find those behind the assasination. It also shows the suicide bomber preparing to go to Gandhi’s rally.
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The assassination
The suicide bomber was from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which took responsibility for the killing calling it revenge for Rajiv Gandhi sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka. Apart from Gandhi, 14 civilians had lost their lives in the bombing.
After Gandhi’s assassination, the Centre appointed Karnataka-cadre IPS officer DR Kaarthikeyan as the chief of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The probe began in Tamil Nadu, before expanding to Sri Lanka after the role of LTTE was established. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and special commando forces were also roped in for the investigation.
The web series has Amit Sial of Maharani fame as Kaarthikeyan, while the rest of the ensemble cast includes Sahil Vaid as SP-CBI Amit Verma, and Vidyut Garg as NSG Commando Capt. Ravindran, among others.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)