In his four-part Netflix docuseries, ‘The Hunt for Veerappan,’ filmmaker Selvamani Selvaraj delves into the intriguing question of whether socio-political circumstances can give rise to figures like Veerappan and if he truly embodied such a persona. This inquiry is not uncommon among those who attempt to narrate the stories of society-labeled anti-social figures.
The documentary medium imposes a commitment to truth, preventing the manipulation of narratives. Selvaraj adeptly employs a Rashomon-style storytelling approach, presenting multiple perspectives that challenge viewers to confront the complexities of the issue. Documentarians face the challenging choice between truth and guiding audiences towards a deeper understanding of the subject, akin to traversing a dense forest against the current, leading to higher realms of comprehension.
While Selvaraj chooses Muthulakshmi, Veerappan’s wife, as the main subject to tell the story, he does so with remarkable clarity. Yet, as a filmmaker, he subtly influences the viewing experience through carefully selected cinematic techniques such as camera angles, cuts, lighting, and music. An example of this manipulation occurs in the first episode (Chapter One – The Forest King) when, after Munusamy recounts the beheading of Karnataka Forest Officer P Srinivas, Selvaraj asks Muthulakshmi a provocative question, accompanied by a well-crafted shot composition, momentarily blurring the line between viewer and subject, and perhaps even glimpsing Veerappan’s essence within her.
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