Poacher: Richie Mehta Shares How The Whole Idea Originated Even Before 'Delhi Crime'

New Delhi: Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker Richie Mehta’s hard-hitting series Poacher has opened to rave reviews. Though inspired by real-life stories, the filmmaker weaves a raw narrative that grips you.

Richie is candid that post his 'Delhi Crime' win he has found the voice to tell the stories he believes in. Collaborating with the filmmaker is none other than India’s biggest star Alia Bhatt, in the capacity of a producer. Richie is candid that having her attached to the project has further helped the cause of the project.

“The fact that you're asking about it, it's on your radar. It has made a difference. It's helped get the word out there. And as Alia and I have along with the rest have talked about if it helps more people press play on episode one, we hopefully we've done the job after that. Once you start hopefully we can guide you through the process through the work we've done, Apart from the word she has been spreading in encouraging viewers is incredible.

The filmmaker recalls how the idea originated after meeting a wildlife crime fighter played by Roshan Mathew in the series, ”I called him up at a time when I was just a filmmaker, Delhi Crime had not happened, and I had no name. He had ten minutes to spare me before he embarked on his mission, an undercover operation. I was so hooked with his story, and the rest followed suit.” 

Starring the incredibly talented Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew as the Delhi-based computer programmer Alan Joseph (Roshan Mathew), the NGO volunteer who takes on the to prevent crimes against wildlife, the show is a tribute to those underdogs fighting for a cause they believe in.

The actor says it was fairly simple to get under the skin of the character. “What’s on paper extremely well detailed, and I'm not talking about huge descriptions that Richie writes about each character. It is just the lines they speak and the decisions that they make, that itself informs you very well about the character. In this particular case, it is based on a real person who's still out there fighting the good fight. I had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times and had long conversations with him. He is just a regular guy who is so grounded, that he could be any computer programmer when you look at him out on the street. He’s not somebody who looks like a saviour of the world, but the fact is through his work, that's exactly what he's trying to do. These people don't have a chip on their shoulder that “Hey, you know what, I'm better than you because I'm doing some noble work. They don't have that they're just going at it as objectively as possible."

Richie Mehta describes him as an effortless actor who had an innate grasp of the character and its beats.

“I need collaborators, not performers working under me. When he came on set, it seemed his method was so uncomplicated. It seems he had all the knowledge, has a grasp of every detail, even how to deliver this long winding monologue that took me time to revise and rethink and he delivered it the way I wanted to, but could not have articulated it as well.”

Though Roshan admits his choice of roles is instinctive, Poacher ticked the right boxes in all aspects.

“There is no set, five-year plan. There are no dream characters. There are no dream stories that I want to work with or a list of dream collaborators. There’s always in my mind an ever-growing list of people whose work inspires me. Poacher was where the story, the director, the actors I worked with and the cause were all equally important”.

Poacher is currently streaming on Prime Video.