Premiering worldwide on February 23, Poacher, a crime drama series based on true events, uncovers the largest ivory poaching ring in India
Our Bureau
Mumbai, India
At a special screening of the upcoming Amazon Original Poacher attended by Alia Bhatt in London, the guests heaped praise on the crime series, with overwhelmingly positive and promising reactions. Written, created, and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta and produced by QC Entertainment, Poacher features an accomplished ensemble cast including Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.
This series is a riveting fictionalized dramatization of real-life events based on a group of Indian Forest Service officers, NGO workers, police constables, and good Samaritans who risked their lives trying to track down and bring to justice the biggest elephant ivory poaching ring in the history of India.
Richie Mehta, along with Manish Menghani, director, content licensing at Prime Video India, Executive Producer, Alia Bhatt, and QC Entertainment’s principals Raymond Mansfield and Sean McKittrick visited London for the publicity of the series ahead of its global streaming premiere. Celebrities including Freida Pinto, Gurinder Chadha, Meera Syal, Anu Menon, Soni Razdan, Shaheen Bhatt along with esteemed filmmakers, members from wildlife protection organizations and media attended the special preview, followed by a tete-e-tete with the Poacher team, along with Lionel Hachemin, Program Manager – Wildlife Crime, IFAW UK.
The conversation focused on the making of the investigative crime series, the research undertaken by Richie, and how he balanced fact and fiction to maintain authenticity to the real events that transpired. The team reinforced that while Poacher is an important story that is engaging and thought-provoking, it will also entertain and influence change.
Richie Mehta, writer, director and creator shared, “While working on a project in 2015, I received a video of the largest raid on ivory poaching in the history of India from the folks at Wildlife Trust of India, which completely shook me and I called them back to understand it. And just then I knew this subject needed the right context to fairly and accurately depict the gravity of wildlife poaching. I spent the next few years researching and writing the story in a way that not only does justice to the altruistic efforts of the wildlife crime fighters but also spreads awareness through an engaging and entertaining narrative.”
Manish Menghani, director, content licensing at Prime Video India, shared, “Apart from Poacher being gripping, it is also thought-provoking. It is a universal, important subject that needs to be told. Besides being a genius filmmaker, Richie is also a researcher who puts in years into a project. We are confident that this series will have viewers on the edge of their seats, when we premiere all eight episodes on 23rd February on Prime Video for a global audience.”
Executive Producer of Poacher, Alia Bhatt shared, “I met Richie nearly two years ago and we happened to speak about Poacher. Watching the series as an audience, me and my sister Shaheen, who is also my partner at Eternal Sunshine Productions, were so moved that we instantly knew we had to be a part of it in a meaningful way. What we watch and consume has the power to slowly seep into the mindset and DNAs of our audience, especially young minds who aspire to become a force for good. Entertainment has the power to influence minds and I believe I could use my voice to spread awareness about such a crucial message.”
Raymond Mansfield and Sean McKittrick, Producers, QC Entertainment said, “Poacher is all about ‘entertainment with purpose’. It is about people who are fighting criminals who are destroying the planet.”. When asked to share three reasons to watch the series, they shared, “While there are many reasons, Poacher promises to be exciting, meaningful and unforgettable.”
Following the extremely encouraging response to the trailer that was launched earlier this week, the episodes screened at Sundance and now at the special preview in London, have heightened the anticipation for Poacher ahead of its release on February 23 in over 240 countries and territories.
