The Hunt for Veerappan depicts not simply the hunt for a criminal but also a realistic picture of a woman whose life has become entangled with his. Although Veerappan, India’s most renowned criminal, is the sole subject of the documentary, Muthulakshmi’s captivating portrayal of Veerappan’s devoted wife serves as the narrative’s driving force. The documentary, which Selvamani Selvaraj directed, was one of Netflix’s standout films because it conveyed Muthulakshmi’s tale in such a complex and sympathetic way.
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She remained loyal to her husband even after being captured by Karnataka Police and even reveres him. Scroll down to find out more about Muthulakshmi!
Who is Muthulakshmi?
Muthulakshmi, a native of Neruppore village in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, met Veerappan for the first time when she was a teenager. He was revered as the region’s version of Robin Hood then, and the villagers considered him their saviour.
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The show mentioned that Veerappan was typically reasonably friendly towards the villagers and would even judge pending matters in court. He had an interesting habit of carrying his revolver over his shoulder whenever he went public; other gang members would usually follow him.
His Marriage With Muthulakshmi
When Muthulakshmi was an adolescent, she considered this scene rather alluring and was amazed by Veerappan’s massive moustache. As a result, she followed him about for a while before the jungle brigand saw her, and the two started a conversation.
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Muthulakshmi added that she was only 16 years old when he formally proposed to her, and the two were married in 1990. After being married, she started living in the jungle with Veerappan, where she got a close-up look at how he ran his gang.
Her Arrest
Muthulakshmi, incidentally, was detained numerous times during this period. On one occasion, she claimed that Karnataka police officers assaulted her until they fractured both her knees while torturing her with electric shocks.
Also Read: Veerappan: Where Are His Daughters Today? Explained
However, when the Tamil Nadu police learned about this, they dispatched personnel to rescue her before presenting her in court. Interestingly, after Muthulakshmi’s incarceration, Veerappan became even more violent and started kidnapping famous politicians before extorting a ransom to get them back.
Where is she today?
Muthulakshmi was devastated to learn of Veerappan’s passing and attended his funeral along with the rest of the villagers. Nevertheless, the authorities could never convict her of any crimes because she was cleared of allegations related to the Palar bomb and the smuggling of sandalwood and ivory. In addition, Muthulakshmi was declared not guilty of the accusations against her even though she had been detained for the kidnapping of Dr Rajkumar.
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Following Veerappan’s death, Muthulakshmi took up politics and ran for a seat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2006. She even continued protecting her husband’s honour and filed numerous lawsuits against movies and TV shows that showed him in a bad light. Even though she lost most of these claims in court, filmmaker A.M.R. Ramesh was asked to pay Muthulakshmi 25 lakh rupees for disrespecting Veerappan in the 2013 movie ‘Attahasa.’
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Additionally, Muthulakshmi founded the Mann Kaakkum Veerathamizhar Peramaippu organisation in 2018, pushing for fresh water availability for Tamil Nadu’s farmers and agricultural sector. She currently lives in Tamil Nadu and has a wonderful relationship with her daughters, Vidyarani and Prabha Vijayalakshmi. Muthulakshmi, too seems to have no regrets and still adheres to her husband’s philosophy today.
