Exclusive/ Poacher Director Richie Mehta Speaks About Alia Bhatt’s Association With The Web Series

Richie Mehta’s crime drama Poacher, set against the backdrop of elephant hunting, is now streaming on OTT. The Hindi-Malayalam series explores the heart-wrenching tale of ivory poaching and trophy collection in India. It is said to be loosely inspired by real-life incidents that took place in Malayattoor, Kerala involving crime syndicates and international smuggling rackets.

In a conversation with Republic Digital, the director of Poacher, Richie Mehta talked about taking up an eco-conscious web series after exploring the dark world of crime in his International Emmy-winning show Delhi Crime.

How Richie Mehta came across the idea of a Poacher?

Richie shared that the idea to create Poacher came to him while he was filming Delhi Crime. He said a real-life poaching incident in Kenya nudged him to weave a story around crime against endangered species. “When the news broke out in Kenya that the last male Northern Kenya white rhino had passed away, making the species extinct, it was the straw that broke the camel's back for me,” the director shared.

Richie Mehta reveals how Alia Bhatt came on board Poacher as Executive Producer  

The Amal director revealed that after completing the final draft of Poacher, he was thinking of a way to market it and that’s when he met Alia Bhatt.

“She was the first person to watch all eight episodes outside of our production house," Richie shared. The director further shared that Alia was so moved after watching the show that she asked him, “How can I help the cause?” It was then that Richie and his team thought, “Hey, this is one way this could work. So she came on board after we finished.”

Before its release, Alia came on board as the Executive Producer, bringing the show into the mainstream.

Richie Mehta reacts to audience's reception of Poacher

Poacher has been receiving positive reviews, with many praising how the director has managed to blend his knack for presenting gritty crime drama with an eco-conscious storyline. Reacting to the reception of the series, Richie shared, “It was very gratifying to know that people are appreciating Poacher. People are thrilled by the experience of it and the series has forced a kind of introspection individually. A lot of people are messaging me about re-evaluating, rethinking their relationship to life around them, which is very moving to me because that's what the experience of this project did for me.”