Nagesh Kukunoor’s The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case started streaming on SonyLIV on July 4, 2025. Within a day, the show has earned rave reviews as a compelling political thriller that meticulously reconstructs one of India’s most high-profile investigations. The seven-episode series, based on journalist Anirudhya Mitra’s book, Ninety Days, chronicles the intense manhunt that followed the tragic assassination of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991. The response from critics and viewers has so far been overwhelmingly positive, praising the show’s grounded realism, restrained storytelling, and standout performances.
The Hunt: A journalist’s real-life account of the manhunt to track Rajiv Gandhi’s killers
The Hunt, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, is based on Anirudhya Mitra’s extensive research and first-hand reporting of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in Ninety Days. It follows a team of investigators as they track down the mastermind behind it. The story begins on May 21, 1991, when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber, Dhanu, during a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. What follows is a high-stakes 90-day manhunt led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership of IPS officer D.R. Kaarthikeyan.
