The Unseen Veerappan Tapes, shot by Nakkeran Gopal when he met the former in the forest, have been released through this docu-series.
A poster of the series 'Koose Munisamy Veerappan'. (S)
Koose Munisamy Veerappan (Tamil)
Make no mistake about it. Koose Munisamy Veerappan (Unseen Veerappan Tapes) is a masterpiece.
The docu-series throws light on the life of feared forest brigand Veerappan, who the administration and those in power, had us believe was a notorious, heartless, vicious, evil murderer and smuggler.
There have been other documentaries on the notorious forest brigand, but what makes this docu-series unique and significant is that this is probably the first and the only time that you will get to hear Veerappan himself narrate all that happened in his life.
In other words, this is the first time you hear Veerappan’s version of all that happened.
‘Koose Munisamy Veerappan’ is streaming on Zee5 Tamil. (X)
Koose Munisamy Veerappan is a gripping documentary presented to viewers in six episodes, with Veerappan narrating the developments in his life — starting from how he languished in poverty before becoming a small-time hunter.
In between, the documentary has some interesting observations and information shared by eminent experts.
Certain events are enacted to help viewers understand what actually transpired.
The Unseen Veerappan Tapes, shot by Nakkeran Gopal when he met him in the forest and which the journalist secretly and safely preserved for over 27 years, have now been released through this ZEE5 docu-series.
Veerappan makes several startling and disturbing disclosures here.
Starting from how an honourable judge indulged in the illegal hunting of wild animals for sport to how politicians made a fortune by employing hunters to kill elephants for ivory (all the while easily and effortlessly shifting the blame on Veerappan as he was already a notorious brigand) to how the death of his youngest sister, who committed suicide after being raped by police officers, prompted him to behead a forest official, Veerappan discloses several facts.
He begins the narration by saying that he will only speak the truth and that he is no politician to lie to the people.
The docu-series is a fantastic piece of work that reveals the other side of the story. It comes as a breath of fresh air to an audience that has been only fed the official version until now.
However, make no mistake; the Koose Munisamy Veerappan has such a powerful impact on you that your heart is bound to get heavy by the time it ends. You would feel a sense of misery, anger, and pain at the inhumanity of those in power.
The sadistic and brutal behaviour of those in power and the kind of sorrow and pain they inflicted on the weak and the helpless are likely to make any right-minded individual freeze with rage.
Episode four of the series reveals details about the brutalities of the Special Task Force (STF) created by the chief ministers of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
After a point, the outrageous methods employed by arrogant police and forest department officials to harass poor innocent people living in the forests to divulge information about Veerappan’s whereabouts are hard to watch, even for those with a strong heart.
From disrobing men and women and mercilessly beating them to giving them electric shocks by attaching wires to their private parts to raping pregnant women, the atrocities are just unimaginable and unforgivable.
The irony is several police and forest officials who indulged in these crimes have not only gotten away scot-free without being punished but have all been promoted several times over.
Guardian to some, menace to others! Who was he in real? | #KooseMunisamyVeerappan Premieres on 14.12.2023#KooseMunisamyVeerappan #VeerappanOnZEE5 #UnseenVeerappanTapes #veerappan pic.twitter.com/9BrEiEN95v
— ZEE5 Tamil (@ZEE5Tamil) December 11, 2023
A docu series of on Veerappan. (X)
Koose Munisamy Veerappan does not defend Veerappan or his crimes. It makes no pretence of the fact that he was ruthless and heartless when it came to killing animals or people he deemed were “monsters in uniform” or informers.
But it sets the record right about his motives. It shows he had character and that he always placed the welfare of those who trusted him ahead of his welfare. He was someone who always sought to be just and that he had a conscience.
In one of the episodes, when talking about the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu requesting the Indian Army to send a team to hunt him down, Veerappan says he did not want to attack the Indian Army team as they were protectors of our nation and therefore, in a bid to stay away from conflict, moved to a higher inaccessible place in the Sathyamangalam forests.
Season one of Koose Munisamy Veerappan moves you and leaves you shaken. But it also makes you eagerly wait for the next season, which is likely to include several details about the kidnapping and release of Kannada Superstar Rajkumar.
If you want to learn the truth, Koose Munisamy Veerappan is a documentary you must not miss.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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