Emmy-award-winning director Richie Mehta, who was behind the hit series Delhi Crime, is returning to the streaming universe with new crime drama Poacher, which is set to premiere on Prime Video on February 23.
The show, produced by QC Entertainment, the Oscar-winning production and finance company responsible for feature film hits such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.
Mehta has created, written, and directed the series that boasts a diverse and talented cast comprising Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya in pivotal roles.
The first three episodes of the eight-episode series premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical appreciation.
Based on court documents and testimonials, Poacher is a fictional dramatisation of events that transpired in the dense forests of Kerala and the concrete jungle of Delhi. The series showcases the immense contributions made by Indian forest service officers, NGO workers from the Wildlife Trust of India, police constables, and good samaritans who risked their lives to investigate the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history, according to the official synopsis provided by the streamer.
Poacher has been filmed in Kerala and New Delhi and unfolds primarily in Malayalam, Hindi, and English.
“We are thrilled to present this investigative crime series—which has been deeply researched, powerfully conceptualized, and masterfully directed by Richie Mehta—on our service. Poacher promises to engage audiences within India as well as across the world with its fascinating, edge-of-the-seat narrative, and compel us as human beings to introspect how our actions can have an irrevocable impact on the environment.
"This narrative based on true events, has the power to make viewers aware, and inspire communities to take action," said Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, Prime Video India.
After Netflix's Delhi Crime, it is another true-crime series for Mehta, who said it took him four years to research the show.
"After putting the last four years into exploring the themes and characters in this complex world of crime fighting, and the extraordinarily high stakes involved, I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Prime Video to take Poacher to a worldwide audience,” said creator, director, and writer Richie Mehta.
“Working with the team at QC Entertainment has been a dream come true, from a creative, logistical, and emotional standpoint, as was collaborating with our actors, crew, and the real subjects on which this series is inspired by," he added.
Poacher is executive produced by QC Entertainment’s Edward H. Hamm Jr., Raymond Mansfield, and Sean McKittrick. Alan McAlex serves as producer for Suitable Pictures.
