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Set between 1918 and 1926, The Ghost of Rudraprayag is a historical thriller based on the true story of the deadliest man-eating leopard in recorded history.
For eight years, the villages surrounding Rudraprayag lived in terror as a single male leopard killed more than 125 people. More cunning than any hunter, faster than any patrol, and silent as fog, the man-eater gained a near-mythical reputation. Locals whispered that it was a spirit, a demon, a punishment - anything but an ordinary animal.
When every trap, soldier, and hunter failed, the authorities turned to Jim Corbett, a quiet, patient, and deeply respectful hunter known not for killing animals, but for stopping man-eaters when no one else could.
Corbett arrives in a world paralyzed with fear - doors barricaded with stone, houses abandoned, pilgrims refusing holy journeys, and villagers too terrified to walk after sunset. As he studies the leopard's patterns, investigates old attacks, and speaks to survivors, Corbett realizes why the villagers call it a ghost: the animal avoids traps, circles around hunters unseen, breaks down doors, and vanishes without leaving tracks.
The hunt becomes a battle of patience and intelligence. Corbett faces sleepless nights in cold forests, failed traps, storms, close encounters, and the emotional weight of being the last hope for terrified families. Over months of stalking and waiting, he comes to respect the animal's instinct, strength, and ruthless efficiency - even as he knows he must stop it.
The story reaches its climax in a quiet, moonlit night near the village of Gulabrai, where Corbett waits alone in a machan overlooking a tethered buffalo. When the ghost finally steps out of the darkness, the two predators face each other. Corbett fires a clean, steady shot - ending eight years of terror.
The Ghost of Rudraprayag ends not with triumph, but with somber reflection