The Hunt actor Sruthy Jayan on the biggest compliment she received: 'I saw real Dhanu through you'

Malayalam actress Sruthy Jayan played Dhanu, the suicide bomber who assassinated Rajiv Gandhi in Nagesh Kukunoor's thriller series The Hunt.

The latest thriller series, The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, is garnering attention online ever since it dropped on SonyLiv and OTTplay Premium earlier this month. Noted director Nagesh Kukunoor has helmed this series, which delves into the crucial investigation after India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated in Tamil Nadu. Along with the probe, the series also portrays the LTTE operatives and the mastermind behind the attack. Malayalam actress Sruthy Jayan, who played Dhanu, the suicide bomber who assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, talks about the biggest compliment she received for her portrayal of the Black Tigress.

Malayalam actress Sruthy Jayan plays Dhanu in The Hunt

Malayalam actress Sruthy Jayan on Dhanu in The Hunt

The 2025 thriller series The Hunt - The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case is adapted from the book ‘Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi's Assassins’, written by Anirudhya Mitra. In a recent interview with The Cue Studio, actress Sruthy Jayan shared that she was overwhelmed to receive a compliment from the author himself. She revealed that Anirudhya Mitra messaged her, saying, “Obviously, I have never met in Dhanu real-life. But I saw real Dhanu through you.”

Stating that it was very overwhelming to receive such a compliment from the author, she said that it could be her appearance or the way in which she carried on the role.

Sruthy Jayan further explained how she researched for the series, by watching documentaries on the LTTE operative and whatever information is available on Dhanu.

For the unversed, Sruthy Jayan is an actress from Kerala who has mostly appeared in Malayalam films. She made her acting debut with acclaimed filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery’s film Angamaly Diaries. One of her notable roles is in the film called June, which starred actress Rajisha Vijayan. Sruthy played Maya teacher in the film, which tracks June’s coming-of-age story. Apart from June, she was also seen in films such as Kaanekkaane, Am Ah and Heaven that are available for streaming on OTTplay Premium.

Not just Dhanu, some of the other key LTTE operatives were also played by Malayali actors in the series. Shafeeq Mustafa is also being lauded for playing the mastermind of the attack, Sivarasan.