Director Nagesh Kukunoor has said in interviews that he wasn’t interested in delving into the political aspects of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, about which he recently made a streaming series. Titled The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, the series features an ensemble cast of character actors. Amit Sial plays DR Karthikeyan, who was tasked with leading a Special Investigation Team and identifying the perpetrators of the attack. Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Tamil Nadu; the investigation found that the attack was carried out by operatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Tamil militant organisation based in Sri Lanka.
In an old interview with Prasar Bharti, the real-life Karthikeyan spoke about the investigation, and the challenges he faced. He said that he agreed to lead the SIT at great personal risk, because it could have been a no-win situation. Not only did he have to bring the perpetrators to justice, he was also painting a target on his back. He said that not many people wanted the responsibility, but he saw it as a service to the nation, and agreed. Asked what challenged him the most about the investigation, he said that it was the ‘disappointing’ internal interference.
Also read – How Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to send troops to Sri Lanka cost him his life
He said, “There were many attempts to derail the investigation, to manipulate the investigation. But I made it clear that there would be no political interference. Everyone was interested to know who killed him, but in the process, they also wanted to involve some opponent. It was a big disappointment to see people… I thought everybody would be anxious to find out who killed the most charismatic leader of that time and bring those people to book. But I found that, in the process, even those who claimed to be his loyalists were more interested in trying to fix up those in opposition parties.”
Karthikyen went on to serve as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and said that he’s proud to have gotten convictions in the Gandhi assassination case, because he presented the Courts with hard evidence. The Indian Express rated the show highly; a portion of the review read, “The Hunt is a welcome addition to shows looking back at recent times, which attempt to pin-point historical and political flashpoints in India with archival documentary footage.”
