Alia Bhatt-Produced ‘Poacher’ Series: Raw, Authentic, and Unapologetically Bold in Review

Poacher’s opening scene, which shows the horrifying image of a dead elephant filling the frame, gives away that this eight-part series won’t hold back. To retrieve a majestic beast’s tusks, it must be killed mercilessly, and the hunters who carry out this task are monsters devoid of any compassion. You witness the blood and the removal of tusks, and you are infuriated and sickened. The Indian Wildlife Act was changed in 1991, making hunting illegal. The Kerala forest department discovered one of the largest elephant poaching operations in the nation in 1995 after accepting a conscience-driven poacher on a voluntary basis. This operation had connections to the Triads and other extremely dangerous gangs.

The way the act of poaching is portrayed—ring after ring of complicit characters dispersed across the nation—makes it clear that writer-director Richie Mehta—who won an Emmy for “Delhi Crime”—has thoroughly researched the subject. The cast selection demonstrates the care taken to keep it grounded and authentic; Malayalam-speaking actors Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Kani Kusruti, among others, do a fantastic job of playing their parts. Mala, a forest officer who works for Sajayan, is a hunter’s daughter.

The locations were well-chosen; they are dense, lush, and green. It’s also nice that the team is shown in their home arenas. I use the word “arena” with caution because that’s exactly what it is: the individuals who fight these battles never take a break from their jobs; they work nonstop. The mighty elephant’s rescue is their first and only priority, ahead of Mala’s mother, Alan’s wife, and Neel’s family. There are a couple of issues with this show: it does have a middle slump, and after the third episode, it begins to feel a little rushed (each episode lasts roughly 45 to 50 minutes). It seems like needless exposition that some of the characters appear merely to give lectures about the circumstances.