"It is a universal, important subject that needs to be told."
Guests descended on London for an exclusive screening of the upcoming Amazon Original Series Poacher.
Written, created and directed by Richie Mehta, Poacher stars the likes of Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.
The crime series is a fictionalised dramatisation of real-life events based on a group of Indian Forest Service officers, NGO workers, police constables and good Samaritans.
These risk their lives in a bid to locate and bring down the biggest elephant ivory poaching ring in India’s history.
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 attended the screening ahead of its streaming premiere on February 23, 2024.
Celebrities such as Freida Pinto, Gurinder Chadha, Meera Syal, Anu Menon, Soni Razdan and Shaheen Bhatt walked the blue carpet.
Renowned filmmakers, wildlife protection organisation members and media outlets were at the special preview.
The preview was followed by a conversation with the Poacher team, along with Lionel Hachemin, who is the Programme Manager for Wildlife Crime at 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 makers reinforced that while Poacher is an important story that is engaging and thought-provoking, it will also entertain and influence change.
Richie said: “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 said: “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 that 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.”
Alia Bhatt added:
“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.”
On three reasons to watch Poacher, they added:
“While there are many reasons, Poacher promises to be exciting, meaningful and unforgettable.”
In addition to the exclusive London preview, Poacher has also been screened at Sundance.
The eight-part series will be available across more than 240 countries and territories including India.
Poacher will be available in English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi and will have subtitles in over 35 languages.
Check out all the amazing photos of Poacher‘s London screening in our special gallery:
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