Alia Bhatt’s multi-language project Poacher was created and directed by Richie Mehta. It follows the 2015 poaching case that uncovered the biggest ivory racket in India with international ties. The show is raw and unique as it keeps close to reality with its crime-solving skills instead of packing a punch at every corner. The show also explores how helpless and powerless not only the animals but also the humans attempting to protect them end up feeling.
Poacher sets off with the murder of elephants that are poached for their ivory tusks and left to rot in the jungle. While the authorities were not even aware of the racket under their noses, one caretaker showed up to turn himself in. With his confession, a massive case opens up something which hadn’t been seen since the 90s. When efforts to catch the culprits end up empty-handed, the crime brand sets up a special team that takes charge without letting any information leak.
The team is comprised of a bad-ass female officer Maya with her trusted friend/engineer Alan, best known as the snake doctor. The two take charge of the mission to hunt down the poachers. While it does sound like the makers had the cops and officers running around guns blazing it’s the exact opposite. Poacher possibly has some of the real depiction of how it truly is to close cases like these. From going through huge piles of data to exploring endless leads that won’t go anywhere.
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Halfway through the show, one of the biggest frustrating scenes for the characters and the audience is realising the game is way bigger than it looks and most of it is out of their hands. Not only that, but the show also showcases the internal struggle between teams and interstate authorities. While the raw performances of Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya among others are a treat to watch, the show untimely is a slow burn.
Poacher is a crime thriller, and the crime committed is of none other than 100s of elephants over the years. As they set out to find the truth, Maya, Alan and Neel end up uncovering more about the massive ivory racket going on under their noses for years. The screenplay haphazardly follows one trail after the other, several episodes halfway through the series lead to bigger fish and other cases that we never find out more about. But perhaps it is something the makers are holding on to for a future season.
One of the most interesting parts about the writing of the show which remains consistent with other South Indian releases is the passion in the context and the subtext of the show. Despite Maya’s past, she sets out to right the wrong, Alan who has been hiding his work from his family, still continues to influence his son in the right ways. Dibyendu Bhattacharya is always the centre of attention when it comes to holding the audience. However, Nimisha Sajayan as Maya and Roshan Mathew as Alan, both leave a massive impact in every scene not just as actors but as their own characters.
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Overall, the show is much like the introductory scene of every episode, you have to watch the whole thing to see and understand the bigger picture. In the first episode, the elephant dies and there on in each scene his body slowly is consumed by the other animals of the jungle. And finally, by the time the case is solved, and the poachers are caught, all that remains of the elephants is just his skeletons. The show has much to offer and may be worth a serious watch.
Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India
