Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor has come on board to helm the show Trial Of An Assassin, which follows the investigation into the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Produced for Applause Entertainment by Kukunoor Movies, the web-series will be adapted from journalist and author Anirudhya’s Mitra’s recently launched book Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassin, published by HarperCollins India.
Sharing his reaction on helming the series, Kukunoor said, “I look forward to taking on this gritty and thrilling piece of storytelling, adapted from Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassin. It has always been an enriching and creatively satisfying experience collaborating with Applause Entertainment and [I'm] excited to see how this one unfolds.”
Kukunoor previously collaborated with Applause Entertainment on Disney+ Hotstar’s political web-series City Of Dreams which completed two seasons.
After the successful and acclaimed Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020), which was directed by Hansal Mehta, Applause Entertainment will be back with its next season Scam 2003: The Telgi Story (2022). The studio will be collaborating with Mehta again on Gandhi (2023), which will be adapted from historian Ramachandra Guha’s two books on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Sameer Nair, chief executive officer at Applause Entertainment, added, “Driven and guided by our values of being ambitious, audacious and disruptive, we believe the adaptation of Anirudhya Mitra’s book certainly makes for a compelling story to tell. Most are aware of this incident through the medium of news and will now get a dramatized insider view of the largest manhunt in Indian history. We are pleased to once again collaborate with director Nagesh Kukunoor to bring this gut-wrenching story to a contemporary audience.”
Mitra was a journalist when Rahul Gandhi’s assassination took place. He had extensively reported on the investigation of Gandhi's death and had even carried exclusive stories related to the matter.
He added that he was pleased with the choice of creative people coming on board to adapt his book on the small screen. “With Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassin, I’ve tried to provide the most definitive account of the biggest manhunt launched in India,” he said. “The audio-visual format enables the story’s numerous facets and layers to be presented in a more nuanced and engrossing manner. With Applause Entertainment’s reputation for passionate storytelling and Nagesh Kukunoor’s directorial expertise, I’m confident that an exciting series lies ahead of us.”