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<keyword id="6361942" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="veerappan" source="Orion">Veerappan</keyword>'s image is imprinted as this moustachioed, gun-wielding sandalwood smuggler in pop culture, but filmmaker <keyword id="4092287" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="selvamani-selvaraj" source="Orion">Selvamani Selvaraj</keyword> was more interested in finding out about the man behind the notorious brigand in "<keyword id="18166312" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="the-hunt-for-veerappan" source="Orion">The Hunt for Veerappan</keyword>". Selvaraj, who worked as an assistant director to Oscar winner Ang Lee on "Life of Pi" and made critically-acclaimed "Nila", said he grew up with Veerappan's story. He was keen to find answers to questions like "what created him and why did it take so long to capture him". The filmmaker teamed up with producers Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha Thyagarajan, founders of Awedacious Originals and Kimberley Hassett for the four-part Netflix docu-series. "Except for the fact that he was known for his moustache, carried a gun with him and was fighting the police, I really didn't have the answers for these questions. I kept going into depths just to understand the fact that such a bandit, such an outlaw existed here... Just the polarising nature, it kept the team completely excited. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime story for a storyteller," Selvaraj told PTI in an interview. The series goes back in history to deconstruct the life and time of Veerappan, who eluded capture for decades, kidnapped major politicians and Kannada actor Rajkumar for ransom and killed many forest officials and police officers. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching of elephants in the scrub lands and forests in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Veerappan and his associates were killed in 2004 by a team of the Special Task Force of Tamil Nadu Police at Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district of the state. Selvaraj, who held the story a "little too close" to himself, said a figure like Veerappan had to happen in the '90s. "Like, now a GPS could probably be easier with all the tracking. But it happened in the '90s when the broadcast was coming. So it is a unique story... Saga is the word that we kept coming back to. Every time we heard the story, something about the story would make us go, 'This is unreal'. But this happened," he added. Bakshi and Thyagarajan, who produced "Delhi Crime" for Netflix, said they decided to board the project because Selvaraj, having already researched Veerappan, had a unique perspective on the story. "The amount of research he had done was extremely convincing for us to be able to understand that there is a real story here. And one that is extremely important to tell and a version that has never been done well before," Bakshi added. According to the producer, while there were several literary pieces on Veerappan, his story was never presented cinematically "in a more comprehensive, wholesome way". "The Hunt For Veerappan" features several important figures, such as Veerappan's wife Muthulakshmi, former gang members, forest officials and the officers from the Special Task Force that was formed to capture him. Thyagarajan said when they approached people for the documentary, they were constantly faced with the question of "why should we speak with you about something that's guarded". "There was actually a researcher of ours who met with the officer who said 'You are at zero per cent trust right now. When you reach 100 per cent is when I will consider giving you an interview'. He took about eight months, but eventually gave us the interview," she recalled. Similarly, Muthulakshmi was unwilling to speak with them initially, she said. "It's only after spending time, with persistence, that kind of came from all of us collectively, just meeting her and trying to tell her that there is no agenda here," Thyagarajan added. Selvaraj said while he wanted to include everything in the story, they faced challenges in what to keep because they didn't want "any perspective to be inadequately represented or misrepresented". "We are not giving all the answers, but we have given you the right ones for you to form the answer for yourself. That was also a great learning that you can get as close to the truth as possible. "In a pursuit like this, when you want to get to the bottom of a certain truth, whatever honesty, whatever you can do, you can only go as much and the rest is subjective in that sense," Selvaraj said. "The Hunt for Veerappan" is streaming on Netflix.

Once-in-a-lifetime story for any storyteller: 'The Hunt For Veerappan' team on docu-series

<keyword id="2251164" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="madhaiyan" source="Orion">Madhaiyan</keyword>, the elder brother of sandalwood smuggler <keyword id="6361942" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="veerappan" source="Orion">Veerappan</keyword> died of a cardiac arrest at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital in Salem in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. Madhaiyan, aged 80 was undergoing a life term in the Salem Central prison and was admitted to the hospital, following complaints of severe chest pain on May 1. A court in Erode had sentenced him to a life term in connection with the murder of a forest ranger, Chidamabaram in 1987 and was in jail for the last 34 years. He had served a jail term in Mysuru for a murder case and was then shifted to the Coimbatore and Salem prisons, police said. A native of <keyword id="14025036" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kadumalaikoodal" source="Orion">Kadumalaikoodal</keyword> near Mettur in Salem district, Madhaiyan leaves behind his wife, police said. Veerappan, who ruled over forest areas in <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, <keyword id="6354780" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="karnataka" source="Orion">Karnataka</keyword> and Kerala for more than two decades, was killed in an encounter with the <keyword id="48997" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="stf" source="Orion">STF</keyword> personnel of Tamil Nadu police, in 2004. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/if-you-place-an-order-youre-accepting-the-service-charge-restaurant-body-says/articleshow/91779455.cms">If you place an order, you’re accepting the service charge, restaurant body says</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-avinya-renders-reveal-the-expected-design-of-the-concept-electric-car/articleshow/91765348.cms">Tata Avinya renders reveal the expected design of the concept electric car</a>

Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's elder brother dies of cardiac arrest

The death of <keyword id="808597" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="VG-Siddhartha">VG Siddhartha</keyword> has shocked one and all. The stock broker-turned-coffee baron’s body was found today, two days after he went missing on Monday (July 29). The share price of Coffee Day Enterprises has lost over ₹1,500 crore (over $200 million) in value in the two days. Not just the corporates, even <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/sombre-scene-at-sm-krishna-s-house-as-son-in-law-vg-siddhartha-missing-1564466265555.html">politicians of all colours</a> paid their respects to him. <keyword id="3003" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Former-Prime-Minister">Former Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6359332" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="HD-Deve-Gowda">HD Deve Gowda</keyword>, who hails from Karnataka, even broke down on national television. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="MirrorNow" handlename="Mirror Now" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/844708508989841408/HLuil94O_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="2" status="Mirror Now's @NehaHebbs spoke to JDS chief H. D. Deve Gowda who claimed that #VGSidharth was ill-treated by the tax… https://t.co/NDyoRRSwRZ" createdat="1564495201000" id="1156202791645282304"></div>







 India’s coffee king VG Siddhartha <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/ccd-founder-v-g-siddharthas-dead-body-recovered-by-the-police/articleshow/70459022.cms">(1959 to 2019)</a> is being remembered as the man who brought coffee culture to India before Starbucks. The promoter of Coffee Day Enterprises was a sharp businessman taken out by bad times, allegedly by aggressive taxmen. He was someone who played a silent but significant role in shaping India’s IT revolution, and benefited from it hugely. He was loved by the close-knit and elite Bengaluru corporate circuit of which Siddhartha was an influential member for more reasons than one. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="CNNnews18" handlename="News18" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/923813836724977664/2wlt99tw_normal.jpg" favoritecount="37" retweetcount="12" status="#CCDFounderMissing – The government needs to engage with honest wealth creators and look at how they need to tackle… https://t.co/bWF2rNsNaB" createdat="1564486027000" id="1156164314899738624"></div>







 However, he is barely getting any credit for being just as savvy politically as in business. He had friends across parties and made strong connections. It seemed that way until his mysterious disappearance on July 29 and the discovery of his dead body in the Netravathi river two days later. The grief of all leaders from all parties once again underscored the point. Taxing times Siddhartha <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cafe-coffee-day-founder-vg-siddhartha-letter-to-board-of-directors/articleshow/70443951.cms">accused taxmen of harassing him</a> in a letter that he sent to the Board of Directors of his company before he went missing, which led many to blame ‘tax terrorism’ for his plight. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="TheVijayMallya" handlename="Vijay Mallya" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/827708603/Copy_of_VJM_4_normal.JPG" favoritecount="4652" retweetcount="845" status="I am indirectly related to VG Siddhartha. Excellent human and brilliant entrepreneur. I am devastated with the cont… https://t.co/OLFGOFBdsG" createdat="1564523998000" id="1156323576171114496"></div>







 The Income Tax Department countered saying that the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/tax-department-acted-as-per-law-in-ccd-promoter-siddhartha-case-sources/articleshow/70449827.cms">millionaire businessman admitted to</a> having ₹480 crore of unaccounted wealth. However, he did not reveal the source or pay the tax due on that money until his death, according to the department. Siddhartha’s harassment charge at the tax department came at a time while his father-in-law SM Krishna is with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that’s ruling at the centre and state. He <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/why-sm-krishna-is-an-important-acquisition-for-bjp-1672353">switched his allegiance to the BJP in 2017</a> after being in the rival Congress camp for 46 years. However, Krishna was conspicuous in his silence during the chaotic political power play in Karnataka over the last few weeks. The bitter battle for power was <a href="https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karnataka-assembly-floor-test-live-news-updates-yediyurappa-bjp-speaker/liveblog/70428190.cms">eventually won by his party</a> BJP, and BS Yediyurappa was <a href="https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/yediyurappa-sworn-in-as-karnataka-chief-minister-for-record-fourth-time-1564147393568.html">sworn in as the Chief Minister on July 26</a>, three days before Siddhartha’s disappearance and death. One of the many who were holding off Yediyurappa from claiming power was Congress leader DK Shivakumar, a political mastermind from Karnataka who put up a fervent fight against the BJP. He is also a close friend of Siddhartha. Therefore, Shivkumar’s outburst soon after Siddhartha went missing was not surprising. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="DKShivakumar" handlename="DK Shivakumar" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/807171771233247232/iDF5c7Pi_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2409" retweetcount="656" status="The letter purportedly written by Shri VG Siddhartha which is circulating is dated July 27th. I received a call fr… https://t.co/Qo6ZQVF4fI" createdat="1564466916000" id="1156084157325254656"></div>







 Shivakumar too, has a tax case against him and his premises were raided in 2017 by officials who <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/karnataka-news/300-crores-undisclosed-income-found-in-raid-on-dk-shivakumar-sources-1733978">unearthed unaccounted cash of ₹300 crore</a> and, shockingly, <a href="https://caravanmagazine.in/politics/yeddyurappa-diaries-bjp-1800-crore-payouts-jaitley-rajnath-gadkari-advani-crores">copies of a diary allegedly maintained by his rival Yediyurappa</a>. From Shivakumar to Yediyurappa to Kumaraswamy, people across the political spectrum are grieving Siddhartha’s untimely death. It is also a testament to the fact that in India, businessmen cannot thrive without politically astute connections. The Rajkumar Ransom Both the success of his ventures and his father-in-law’s power made Siddhartha important in Karnataka. When S M Krishna’s government was frantically coming up with a massive ransom necessary to free <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/rajkumar-case-verdict-the-perfect-script-that-will-remain-a-secret/article25042510.ece">Rajkumar, the Kannada superstar who was kidnapped by Veerappan in 2000</a>, Siddhartha came to help. According to an account, <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/telgi-link-to-veerappan-ransom/cid/729965https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/telgi-link-to-veerappan-ransom/cid/729965">Siddhartha was one of the five people in the room</a> that included the then CM Krishna, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Abdul Karim Telgi. Telgi is better known for his $2.9 billion fake stamp paper scam, and was acquitted from it, <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/abdul-karim-telgi-acquitted-in-stamp-paper-scam-year-after-his-death-1987855.html">after his death, for lack of evidence</a>. The government of Karnataka at the time <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Govt-not-Rajkumar-family-paid-ransom-Ex-DGP/articleshow/29005840.cms">insisted that it had paid for Rajkumar’s release</a> from <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Veerappan-End-of-three-decades-of-terror/articleshow/890585.cms?referral=PM">Veerappan, a dreaded bandit</a> who modelled himself after Robin Hood. However, it has been alleged many times that <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Veerappan-End-of-three-decades-of-terror/articleshow/890585.cms?referral=PM">both government and private money were paid</a> to secure the release of the actor, while thousands of Rajkumar’s fans took to the streets to protest, violently at times. The role and involvement of Siddhartha may remain unclear. The length of the arm between Chief Minister Krishna and his son-in-law in state matters may remain anybody’s guess. While the details of Siddhartha's political prowess may remain unknown, his achievements in business have been celebrated abundantly. Coffee estate to real estate India has always had coffee houses, in the big cities at least, where for decades thinkers, lovers, and revolutionaries have hung out. Siddhartha’s chain Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) brought the 21st century colours to this culture. 
	
 
 
 <div type="image" title="An employee prepares coffee for customers at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Mumbai" msid="70464424" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;An employee prepares coffee for customers at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Mumbai, November 2, 2015. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/Files&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>







 It may have helped that his father-in-law SM Krishna -- Chief Minister of Karnataka between 1999 to 2004 -- was a man with massive political clout at the time. However, Siddhartha’s privilege does not take away the credit due for his business acumen. There are many who own estates in <a href="https://www.indiacoffee.org/coffee-regions-india.html">Karnataka’s coffee belt</a> but it was Siddhartha who made the right moves at the right time and CCD became the go-to place for young Indians at the turn of the century long before competitors woke up to the opportunity. Privileged and benevolent Siddhartha not only built his own empire of coffee chains, real estate, financial services and logistics, he also supported entrepreneurs who went on to become icons in their own right. Infosys is a shining example, which went on to be the first poster boy of India’s IT revolution. However, the company didn’t have enough takers for its shares at the time of its IPO. Siddhartha, who was a stock broker in Bengaluru at the time, had underwritten those shares and bought them. He made a lot of money out of it but only because he knew their worth when no one else did. Infosys and Mindtree are <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/tech-savvy-siddhartha-got-many-a-tech-winner-going/articleshow/70458429.cms?from=mdrhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/tech-savvy-siddhartha-got-many-a-tech-winner-going/articleshow/70458429.cms?from=mdr">only two of the many examples</a> were Siddhartha backed entrepreneurs. He owed a lot of his wisdom and foresight to the training he received under Mahendra Kampani (1959 to 2017), one of the stars of India’s stock market, who was the sitting member of the governing board at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/mahendra-kampani-dies-in-car-crash-197082701105_1.html">until his death in a car crash in 2017</a>. After his Masters in Economics, Siddhartha got his early training at JM Financial under Kampani in 1983-84. Those two years of training and some capital from his father made him an independent broker in Bengaluru later. It was then that he underwrote the shares of Infosys and profited from the investment. The other ventures and profits followed this initial success. However, one may wonder if he could have built his fortune as a businessman in India without being just as savvy politically. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/cafe-coffee-day-founder-vg-siddhartha-letter-to-board-of-directors/articleshow/70443951.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Full text of the letter written by Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha before he went missing</a>

A former Prime Minister cried on national TV for VG Siddhartha-- the untold tales of politics and privilege may die with India’s coffee baron

You Searched For "veerappan" and got 3 results

Once-in-a-lifetime story for any storyteller: 'The Hunt For Veerappan' team on docu-series

PTI

Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's elder brother dies of cardiac arrest

PTI

A former Prime Minister cried on national TV for VG Siddhartha-- the untold tales of politics and privilege may die with India’s coffee baron

Sriram Iyer

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