The Hunt review: Nagesh Kukunoor crafts a slow-burn manhunt with haunting precision

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case story:

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case details the 90-day manhunt that ensued after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the former prime minister of India. The nation was startled and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) launched an aggressive inquiry after a suicide bomber targeted an electoral gathering in Tamil Nadu. Following the lead of the book Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi's Assassins, it provides an in-depth examination of a pivotal inquiry.

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case review:

Since the OTT boom in India, we have seen so many book adaptations turned into web series, and many of them have worked wonders, too. But the successful formula mainly relies on the cast's ability to make viewers believe that they are real-life individuals, even though they are not portraying specific people. To be honest, The Hunt – The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case also falls into the same category and that's where the series shines to begin with. 

Created by Nagesh Kukunoor, the true crime political series doesn't actually show us the political journey of the aftermath of the assassination. However, it focuses on the intense 90-day investigation by the CBI to identify those responsible for this heinous crime. While doing so, the series begins with the right moment, the suicide bomber blasts, and the whole narrative then shifts to the Special Investigation Team being set up to catch the person and make sure that they do it before any derailment. Thus begins the journey, which is topped with so much precision that a seven-episode-long series does it full justice and will leave you satisfied in some way or another by the time you reach the end.

ALSO READ: Nagesh Kukunoor on The Hunt: 'It's constant to do something I have not done before; my only keeda in life' | Exclusive 

First things first, the story, Kukunoor, storyboards a series where every motion is so well choreographed that it feels like history is repeating, literally. Even the actors on the screen stand up in the right way, just like real-life people did with their actions at the correct angle, as it was captured then. It's a known fact that the photographs were the main evidence and the biggest lead that made them realise that LTTE was behind the assassination.

There we see D. R. Karthikeyan (Amit Sial), who heads the SIT that probed the case. He is joined by Amod Kant (Danish Iqbal), K. Raghothaman (Bucks), and Amit Verma (Sahil Vaid). In quick succession, each of them establishes their roles in such a poetic way that you feel intrigued and get drawn to how they got into the investigation. Most characters speak in Tamil, as the investigation occurs in the outskirts of Tamil Nadu, where the assassination took place. As they get to know that it's the LTTE who undertook this mission by also brainwashing Tamilians residing there, it becomes the spot of action and reaction for the SIT.

It is a treat to watch how deeply each of the actors immersed themselves in their characters. With the perfect casting, including that of Shafeeq Mustafa as Sivarasan, you can in no way make out if it's actually the real-life person coming on to the screen.

The Hunt effectively maintains the viewers' interest throughout the series by knowing when to pique their attention. There's never a moment where you might feel a dip in the series, as it gets gripping by the time we reach the 90th day. 

What works for the show is that it narrates the story in a language that the real-life characters likely spoke. We see SIT speaking to each other in Hindi, as they have been travelling from different parts of the country. Meanwhile, the members of the LTTE are seen speaking in Sinhalese as well as Tamil while talking to the locals and the Tamilians who become their accomplices. 

Interestingly, most of the SITs are also seen conversing in Tamil, especially Vaid as Verma, who is so fluent that it feels unreal, but the actor nails it to a T. Meanwhile, even Sial does it well and makes it look believable. On the other hand, there are moments in the show that make you squirm and question which side is truly right.

Of course, assassination is a heinous crime and there's no two ways about it. But when you hear Sivarasan taking charge and leading the mission, you see how he has tamed his group of people and made them feel the pain Lankans have felt over the years. Discussing the war between these two regions is a complex issue, and there are few justifiable examples of who is right in their respective cases. 

But as you move forward, we see that they become two sides of the same coin – SIT doing their job to bring justice and nab the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi and, on the other hand, LTTE being the rebel with a cause.

The story gets a little ambiguous on the mission and how and why they do what they do. But it delves deeply into the solving-the-case part, as that's where the lens is kept for the story.

We repeatedly see the moments before and during the assassination, suggesting that the intent is to engrave these images in our minds. However, guiding us through the point of SIT seems appropriate, as the investigators must have replayed that moment numerous times to understand how the assassins were clearly visible and that nothing could have been done to prevent it.

Several haunting moments arise because photographs play a crucial role in the case. Without the technological advances of today's times, we see that every frame is important and cannot be ignored, making everyone a mere suspect, and justifiably so. The revelation of having even the most common person and someone who can be avoided becomes a part of the crime.

In many instances, it appears that police brutality is challenging to watch, but we come to understand that these individuals are the terrorists being confronted. They show no remorse and are aware that cyanide is their most significant ally in this journey. Every member of the LTTE wears the cyanide vial like a religious thread and knows how to use it at the right moment before getting convicted. It becomes disturbing in the sense that their value of lives is zeroed to their cause and this sacrificial act is the endgame for them.

Kukunoor wrote the screenplay with Rohit Banawlikar and Sriram Rajan. They do make the screenplay so tight and translate it equally well on the screen, which can make one feel that this was meant to happen and at the right time for sure.

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case knows where to draw the line, and it's nowhere, as it narrates a story that might be new to many; we have only seen the path leading to the assassination, and now, despite the world knowing who did it, we get to know how everything came to an end after 90 days.

However, the last moments might test your patience like never before while watching the series, but isn't that how we see even now the way terrorists are caught eventually?

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case verdict:

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case isn’t just a manhunt—it’s a haunting. With pitch-perfect casting, layered languages, and a ticking clock of justice, the series tightens its grip episode after episode. Though the final lap stumbles a bit, this hunt remains a gripping pursuit—equal parts history, mystery, and misery.