Some shows skip the heavy pre-release buzz, only to drop just in time — and still leave you hooked. ‘The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case’ is one such series. Streaming on SonyLIV from Friday, this taut political crime thriller is helmed by National Award-winning filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor and is based on journalist Anirudhya Mitra’s book ‘90 Days: The True Story of The Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassins’.

Produced by Applause Entertainment, the show follows the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) as it probes the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Featuring Amit Sial as SIT chief DR Kaarthikeyan, the seven-episode series peels back the layers of one of India’s most complex criminal investigations. Here’s why ‘The Hunt’ is a gripping police procedural you won’t want to miss.

What it’s all about:

‘The Hunt’ is solely based on the investigation that followed Rajiv’s assassination at a public meeting in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur village, on May 21, 1991. Without wasting any time, the series opens with the former PM’s assassination and jumps straight into the investigation, introducing Amit as Kaartikeyan, who was chosen to head the SIT.

As the 10-member SIT is formed — with Kaarthikeyan given the liberty to handpick his own team — the series begins to reveal the enormity of their task: tracking down the assassins with virtually no evidence. It was, quite literally, like finding a needle in a haystack — a line you’ll hear echoed in the series itself.

The series then follows the several challenges, technologically and otherwise, that they faced in closing the case within 90 days of the tragic incident.

What works for the series? To start with, it's stellar cast:

Casting company Casting Bay deserves applause for putting together a cast of skilled actors beyond the usual star circuit. Be it Amit as Karthikeyan, Sahil Vaid as Amit Verma, Bagavathi Perumal as Ragothaman, Danish Iqbal as Amod Kant, Nishan Naniah as Sri Kumar, Gouri Padmakumar as Subha, Vidyuth Gargi as Ravindran, Girish Sharma as Radhavinod Raju, or many other actors - trust them to surprise you with their powerful and realistic performances.

Apart from this brilliant ensemble of actors, one actor who surprises the most is Shafeeq Mustafa, who plays Sivarasana, the LTTE mastermind behind the assassination. In the initial episode, Shafeeq has very few to no dialogues. He has truly weaponised his silence, intense looks, and deep expressions to politely portray the evil yet clever and ambitious mind of Sivarasana.

Another actor who has outshone his past performance is Sahil. Having done films like ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya’, where he played a goofy friend to the hero, Sahil surprises with his mature act as a Superintendent of Police, who is fluent in both Hindi and Tamil.

Rooted storytelling and sharp editing elevate it further:

The series is an out-and-about Nagesh Kukunoor show, as it in no way falters into unnecessary dramatization or sensationalism. Nagesh, who has also co-written the series with Rohit Banawlikar and Sriram Rajan, chose to stick to the book on which the series is based. Other than that, there are some light-hearted and raw moments shown among the SIT members, which bring a human touch to this investigation and give an insight into the persona of the characters.

Not only is the writing and direction that keeps you hooked, but it’s also the camera moves that almost make you a part of the investigation.

The dialogue writing also deserves mention, since at no point do you feel like there is any sort of jingoism. Another highlight that makes the series feel so realistic is that it has been shot in Hindi and Tamil, meaning you’ll have dialogue in both languages.

The not-so-strong bits:

Given that the series is led by the ‘Maharani’ actor as Kaarthikeyan, I was hoping to see more of Amit in it. Unfortunately, you’ll see less of him compared to the expectations. However, I can’t truly blame the makers for it since the on-ground investigation has more to do with Karthikeyan’s subordinates. But as someone who admires Amit’s act, I wish I could see more of it. Similarly, several other actors, such as Danish, had a fairly lesser on-screen presence.

Moving forward, an area where it loses its mark is that ‘The Hunt’brings nothing fresh to the table. It is an investigative story that has been shown on camera several times. Maybe it’s one project made in Hindi, but in other languages, it has been the subject of films.

Also, since the assassination took place three decades ago, there is a huge chunk of audience who is already aware of the investigation, to whom there might not be a surprise element.

The bottom line:

Whether you are aware of what happened in the investigation, ‘The Hunt’ makes for a must-watch. It’s a show that is packed with performances that won’t disappoint you. It’s a show that will give you many moments of frustration (over the investigation). But it’s most definitely a show that retells one of the bloodiest chapters of our political history.

RATING: 3.5/5