In the Mehta universe

A still from Poacher

Since garnering the Emmy Awards with Delhi Crime in 2020, writer-director Richie Mehta has been on everyone's wish list, including south star Roshan Mathew's. Hence, it was a no-brainer for the actor when he got the audition call for Poacher. "I was excited about the possibility of working with him because I had seen Delhi Crime, and it had intensely moved me. At the same time, I appreciated the mastery of his craft and the unique language that he brought on screen," Mathew says.

Created, written, and directed by Mehta, Poacher is an investigation thriller based on the true story of ivory poaching in Kerala. Mathew plays an intel analyst in the Amazon Prime Video series, which also stars Malayalam actor Nimisha Sajayan and Dibyendu Bhattacharya. The film also reunites him with his Darlings co-star Alia Bhatt, who joins the team as an executive producer. "The excitement is brimming even more with Alia coming on board," says the actor.

Hailing the script as one of the most engrossing reads, Mathew shares that Poacher makes for an entertaining watch owing to the peculiarities of its characters. "Everything that happens in the script is so strange and original. The stakes are always high for the characters, but they figure their way with much jugaad," says Mathew, who is thrilled to have worked with Mehta's crew, so much so that even though the shoot happened a while ago, the "excitement has remained the same."