Alia Bhatt joins ‘urgent’ wildlife crime drama as executive producer

Bollywood star Alia Bhatt has joined the already-completed Amazon original investigative crime series ‘Poacher’ as an executive producer, reported Variety on Monday.

Created, written, and directed by filmmaker Richie Mehta, ‘Poacher’, based on true events, tells the story of the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history.

It premiered at Sundance in 2023 and features Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya in the lead.

“The impact of ‘Poacher’ was deeply personal, and Richie’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with me and the team,” Bhatt was quoted as saying by Variety.

“The storytelling genuinely moved me, especially knowing it’s based on true events, that sheds light on brutal crimes occurring in our forests.”

Bhatt debuted as a producer with the 2022 Netflix film ‘Darlings,’ alongside Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.

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She was most recently seen in the Bollywood blockbuster, ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ (2023).

Bhatt has helped raise awareness about causes such as environmental sustainability, animal welfare and mitigating human-animal conflict through her platform, Coexist.

She also promotes sustainable fashion through her initiative, Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe.

‘Poacher’ will debut worldwide on Prime Video on February 23.