The Hunt for Veerappan: Puneeth Rajkumar's innocence vindicated in Netflix's docu-series

Netflix's latest docu-series The Hunt for Veerappan has caught everyone's attention. The abduction of Kannada movie icon Dr Rajkumar was one of the main chapters in the history of the 17-year manhunt to catch the infamous forest brigand Veerappan. The documentary series delves into the incident, shedding light on various factors that led to Rajkumar's abduction. 

The documentary meticulously unveils Veerappan's calculated selection of Rajkumar as a strategic target. The forest brigand's intentions were deeply rooted in political, cultural, and linguistic tensions between neighbouring regions, specifically seeking to establish his Tamil nationalist identity. Rajkumar was kidnapped by Veerappan from his farmhouse in Gajanur, Tamil Nadu, on the night of July 30, 2000. The third episode titled 'The Revolutionary' will evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for the people who lived in Karnataka in light of Rajkumar's kidnapping. The entire state had come to a standstill for over three months as the entire country waited with bated breath for his safe return. 

The Hunt For Veerappan review: Engaging documentary is almost a homage to the slain forest brigand

In a state of sheer chaos and confusion, a cacophony of rumours took centre stage, spreading baseless allegations against late movie star Puneeth Rajkumar, the youngest son of Rajkumar. 

The rumours claimed that Puneeth was involved in granite mining along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka borders. And it was said that Puneeth refused to toe the line and pay the protection fee to Veerappan like other quarry operators at the time. And Puneeth's alleged defiance provoked Veerappan to kidnap Rajkumar. At the time, these baseless rumours added to the suffering of the Rajkumar family. 

In the past, Puneeth had also revealed that these allegations had deeply hurt him at the time. 

The Netflix documentary paints a clear picture of the variables that influenced Veerappan to target Rajkumar. And it had nothing to do with Puneeth or his entrepreneurial ambitions at the time.