There has not been any dearth of content on the life and confounding legacy of Koose Munaisamy Veerapan aka Veerappan, the infamous forest bandit known for his reign of terror in the forest ranges of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and parts of Kerala. Netflix recently released a real crime documentary titled The Hunt for Veerappan (2023). Now, ZEE5 is coming out with another documentary, titled Koose Munisamy Veerappan(2023), which accounts of the days of his reign, recounted through creatively conceptualized narrative recreations and testimonies from first-hand collaborators and witnesses.
The makers recently put out a note about the project “ “The series provides a deep dive into the life and escapades of the forest bandit, Koose Munisamy Veerappan. Through an interesting blend of real-life footage and firsthand accounts from individuals who were close to him, as well as the officials who tirelessly sought to capture him, the series will vividly portray Veerappan’s enigmatic persona and his criminal legacy. What sets this series apart is the fact that it will be primarily narrated by Veerappan himself, revealing his entire life story and uncovering unknown truths about the events that happened around him.”
Interestingly enough, the new show will make use of real-life footage in combination with visual inserts and narration to tell the story of Veerapan’s three-decade-spanning rule over the sandalwood smuggling empire. The series is created by Jeyachandra Hashmi, Prabhavathi RV and Vasanth Balakrishnan, and is directed by Sharath Jothi. Koose Munisamy Veerappan is bankrolled by Dheeran Productions. Raj Kumar PM has handled the cinematography, while Sathish Raghunathan has scored the music. The series will be out on December 8.