#KetchupTalks: 'The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, made me realize the life and mindset of our officers': Bhagavathi Perumal

In this interview, actor Bhagavathi Perumal discusses SonyLiv's latest show, The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, and how he prepared to portray a CBI officer.

Bhagavathi Perumal, who has captivated the audience with his versatile performance in Tamil cinema, and acclaimed OTT ventures like Monica, O My Darling, The Night Manager, and Killer Soup has won over the viewers once again with his intense performance in Nagesh Kukunoor’s The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case. In this series, he portrays K. Ragothaman, an investigation officer involved in the intense manhunt following the assassination of the former Prime Minister. In this exclusive interview, Perumal talks us through his preparation, the profound impact of working on an intense series like The Hunt had on him, while also sharing insights into portraying Officer Ragothaman and the research he had already done long before the show was offered to him. 

Also Read: The Hunt-The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case review: A gripping yet sensitive account of the investigation sans any political commentary

Read all about it here!

The Hunt features you as a real-life CBI officer K. Ragothaman. Can you share which historical records or personal accounts you accessed that shaped your performances?

The most interesting thing about playing Ragothaman was, long before the project came to me, I was well-versed with the incident. When Rajiv Gandhi's assassination happened, it came as a great shock to us because it was the first time a bomb blast happened in Tamil Nadu. Till then, it was called a non-violent state, a peaceful place. Once the incident occurred, all the equations changed. Speaking of Ragothaman, he gave multiple interviews to YouTube channels after his retirement, and I had seen all of them well before the project came to me. Usually, when you get the project, it's then you start researching it, but in my case, I had done the research well before it came to me. I have also read his books. He has written 23 books about police investigation, criminal investigations, and one about the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, which I read already. So it was like a teacher coming up to a student when the student was ready!

The series dives into the intense investigation following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. What was the most challenging aspect of stepping into the shoes of these investigators during such a pivotal moment in Indian history?

This was a clear text and non-fiction. There is ample material about each and everybody involved in the case, hence such things are very confusing. However, the setting and the script guided me very much, and our director, Nagesh Kukunoor allowed us to bring our own into our parts and deliver it in our way, and whenever we would go astray, he would guide us back to the part. That's the significance of a fine director, and Nagesh sir is one such director. He would let us approach the scene in our way in the first and second take, and only after that he would come and correct us if he needed to, thus making this experience a lot more enjoyable.  

Since you mentioned working with Mr. Kukunoor and how he usually makes the actor feel comfortable, would you also like to share how his direction influenced your approach to this role? 

He is a writer, director, and actor himself, and hence knows the process. It was very easy for us to communicate. Well before starting the scene, we would discuss anything that needed to be clarified. And once that was done, we would go for the shot. And finish it in one go. That's all. And whenever he needed anything more, we'd go for that one more shot. That's all. 

The show is based on Anirudhya Mitra’s book Ninety Days. Did you read the book as part of your preparation? How did it help you understand the gravity of the investigation?

Oh yes, I have read 90 days, it's like a collection of various titbits I have come across during the research for the show. You read something in certain books, watch videos where someone gives you a different account of what happened, it's all over the place, but reading 90 days is like using Google - it gives you all the information in one place, which is very helpful. And if at all we need any clarification, we can go to the source of the video interview given by various officers involved in this. Reading 90 Days gave me the idea of what we are going to show in the web series. 

You've worked extensively in both Hindi and Tamil content. What was it like transitioning to a Hindi-language series with such a heavy historical context? How did you adapt to your character’s demands?

Two things - first of all, I've never done anything like this, play an original Hindi-speaking character. It's always like one South Indian guy in North India. Killer Soup is set in an imaginary place, so anybody could have been there. Therefore, I’d love to do some original Hindi-speaking characters. I am learning Hindi, and I need to practice a lot to achieve expertise. I know that will take a little longer, but I will do that anyway, and when you are talking about working on this mammoth project where you are portraying a real-life character, that's challenging, but it's also equally exciting. So it's always a pleasure to face such challenges like I did in Super Deluxe, and Monica, O My Darling. I love challenges, that's what gets me excited, and hence it excites the audience too.

The trailer highlights themes of espionage, blurred loyalties, and the human cost of justice. How did you both approach conveying the emotional and ethical dilemmas your characters faced during the investigation?

In the 6th episode, my character and my boss' (Sahil Vaid) character have a drink together at night, and he asks him about his personal opinion on the case. He tells him that I'm just a soldier, I have to follow orders, my duty is not to have any opinion but to follow the orders and make the right things happen - a very simple, and straightforward answer. That’s the beauty of it, we will never know if he had any personal opinion or not. But he's upfront, very frank, and tells the other character that I'm a soldier and I will perform my duty, and that's all. That scene added one more dimension to my character.

The series promises a deep dive into one of India’s most shocking political murders. Were there any moments during filming that gave you a new perspective on the real-life events of 1991?

My character goes with Sial to enquire a wounded lady ASI, the setup was true to the original. The makeup was quite real, and the performance of that particular artist was also amazing. I was going into a little depression, as that moment gave me the idea about the lives of our police officers and the kind of mindset they have. It's like being in a war. Then I started sympathizing with them. You see, sometimes the police officers become very rude seeing common people fight for silly things, right? When you are going to complain about silly things in the police station and file an FIR, they will blast at you. But ever thought why it is so? Because they are dealing with that kind of life-threatening situation day in and day out. That's one thing I happened to realize. And the other was during the scene where we were standing on the blast site on the next day of the incident. IG Kartekiyan’s character (Amit Sial) had dialouges while I was just standing in the background, but it was still like transporting myself physically, emotionally, and psychologically to the point where the original blast happened. You are standing there on almost the same red carpet with the blood and the blast materials spread all over the place with only the chappals remaining. It was like one of those moments where I realised the kind of duty our forces and agencies perform.  

What do you hope audiences take away from The Hunt in terms of understanding the complexities of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and the efforts of the investigators?

Although I have read the script completely, I haven't watched the series in one go, but from whatever I have experienced through this show, we have to appreciate the people in the department who give their lives, time, and energy into solving a case like this. It’s a mammoth task, that too with limited manpower, monetary, and technological resources. Yet they managed to solve it with their integrity, determination, and knowledge within 90 days, that's sheer brilliance. We must appreciate that at least.  

Which of Bhagavathi Perumal's characters is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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