The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case (Season 1/India/2025) Series is based on true events. On 21 May 1991, during the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi’s parliamentary election campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, a tragic murder and shocking carnage by a suicide bomber took place.
Please note, this series takes a closer look at India’s biggest manhunt to catch the conspirators behind the said political assassination. Notably, the lead investigators in “The Hunt” series asserted that they would like to solve the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and they did not want it to remain a Kennedy assassination mystery.
Series Review [Spoiler-Free] of The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case
In FOCUS: Who, What, When, Where, & Why The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Tragedy Happened?
Introduction
In a heartbreaking tragedy, the ex-PM of India, Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by a suicide bomber at a campaign rally. In India, this is considered to be one of the most calamitous political incidents. Not surprisingly, this series also mentions the sad demise of two other members of the Gandhi family, Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. But we shall not delve into those cases right now. This was a high-profile political assassination case in the 1990s Indian subcontinent. And certainly, the 90-day investigation by Indian investigators revealed LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, aka Tamil Tigers) involvement, leading to arrests and convictions of conspirators.
Terrorist Or Freedom Fighter?
Not surprisingly, most of us are aware of the involvement of the LTTE (an armed separatist group in Sri Lanka) cadres in such a dastardly act. Did the LTTE attack because of the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF*) presence in the neighbouring Sri Lanka?
Rajiv Gandhi, during his tenure as Prime Minister (1984-1989) of India, sanctioned the deployment of the IPKF* in 1987 after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, intending to bring peace and stability to the Indian sub-continental region. So, the IPKF was dispatched to Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990, aiming to bring an end to the Sri Lankan Civil War. The primary goal of the IPKF was to disarm militant factions, especially the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and to set up a temporary administration. However, the mission encountered numerous difficulties and ultimately culminated in the withdrawal of Indian forces.
The show poses a simple query: Is one man’s terrorist another man’s freedom fighter!?
You decide.
A Captivating True Tale
Did this series and case unmask all the plotters and traitors involved in this 1991 political assassination case? Well, the honest answer is that yes.
The formation of the Special Investigation Team and its key team members | YouTube video.
A professional team of Indian investigators did manage to bring to light many of the accomplices and the collaborators in this assassination case within a praiseworthy time frame of three months. Also, given the political constraints and bureaucratic interference, they only manage to catch and eliminate some of the key foot soldiers. The pace of the first half of the show, however, falters as it reaches the finish line. So, at the end of the series, the general feeling is that the big fish (s) did get away. This is what this slow-burning investigation reveals at the end. Was there a deliberate cover-up to save the powerful conspirators?
Creative & Cinematic Liberties, but…
The maker of this true-crime show, Nagesh Kukunoor, did try to tell this grim and complex tale as candidly as possible. But it seems that Nagesh has taken certain creative liberties in the representation of recent history. Furthermore, as this series is based on the lives of real people, we are sure that in the coming days, it is bound to rake in some kind of controversy. A similar thing happened with the “IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack” series, too. Still, despite some of the exaggerations, omissions and commissions, this series does try to recreate the authentic 1990s era in India. It is indeed a brave and praiseworthy effort.
Conclusion
We loved the entire ensemble cast of The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case. All of them have played their parts to perfection. The balanced depiction of both the heroes and the villains was done emphatically. In case you are a modern history buff like us, it is an insightful and good series to watch, undeniably.
Rating
| Focus Magazine (FM) Rating | 4.05/5 |
Poster
Key Details
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Original Language | Hindi (& Tamil) |
| Dubbed Languages | Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, & Bengali |
| Season | First (1st) Season |
| Episodes | Seven (7) Episodes |
| Writers | Sriram Rajan, Rohit G. Banawlikar & Nagesh Kukunoor |
| Director | Nagesh Kukunoor |
| Main Cast | Amit Sial (D.R. Kaarthikeyan), Shafeeq Mustafa (Sivarasan), Danish Iqbal (Amod Kanth), Anjana Balaji (Nalini), Sahil Vaid (Amit Verma), Gouri Padmakumar (Subha), Bagavathi Perumal (K. Ragothaman), Shruty Jayan (Dhanu), Girish Sharma (Radhavinod Raju), Dinesh Sai (Murugan), Vidyuth Gargi (Ravindran), Sukhita Aiyar (SI P. Revathi), Saurabh Dubey (Vijay Karan), Rajiv Kumar (Rajiv Gandhi), Sukanya Nagda (Shanthi), etc. |
| Network | Sony LIV |
Trailer & Synopsis
"The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case" is a gripping web series that chronicles the 90-day manhunt that followed the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The suicide bombing at an election rally in Tamil Nadu shocked the nation and triggered an intense investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Based on the book "Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi's Assassins", it offers a detailed look into one of the most consequential investigations.
Poster and Featured Image of The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case (Season 1/India/2025) Series are credited to Sony LIV.