Chennai, Oct 10 : Muthulakshmi, widow of dreaded forest brigand Veerappan has said that she would make a fresh bid to stop telecast of the TV serial on his life.

Muthulakshmi, who recently lost an appeal in a sessions court, said the serial "Santhanakaadu", or Sandalwood Forest, would cause trauma to her two teenaged daughters.

"They (directors) talked to me very well as friends and recorded everything on a microtape without my knowledge. They know about my life and Veerapan's life and true happenings are to be telecast as a serial. We cannot allow this. So, I am going to file a case in the High Court," she said.

The 125-episode teleserial, directed by V. Gauthaman, is slated to be aired on Tamil satellite channel Makkal TV from October 15.

Gauthaman, who researched for nearly three years on Veerappan's life and spent 110 days to shoot deep in the Sathyamangalam forests that the forest brigand roamed in, said that the teleserial would rather earn Veerappan's family goodwill and sympathy.

"They (Veerappan's wife) are to move to the High Court. Being a lady she's fighting. Let her go ahead. I am confident the judgement will be in favour of the truth," said Gauthaman, who earlier made a serial based on the life of notorious serial killer Auto Shankar.

Veerappan, known as the "Jungle Cat" for his ability to move and disappear in the forest, was accused of killing thousands of elephants for their tusks and smuggling ivory and sandalwood worth millions of dollars.

Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, a tall, wiry bandit in his 50s, who sported a long twirling moustache and was usually clad in military camouflage, was killed in a police encounter in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri District on October 18, 2004.

His death ended a two-decade hunt for a man who killed more than 100 people and kidnapped a movie star.

Veerappan had a five million rupee bounty on his head and was believed to have had ties with Tamil militants that officials said extended to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers.

Veerappan hit world headlines in 2000 when he kidnapped ageing film star Rajkumar and held him hostage for 108 days.

He was arrested in 1986 but slipped out of handcuffs and disappeared back into the forest. A special police force was later set up by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but Veerappan ran circles around them for years.

His last big crime was in 2002 when he kidnapped regional politician H. Nagappa from his farmhouse in Karnataka. Nagappa was later found dead in a forest.

Veerappan denied responsibility for the death, saying police had killed him in a shootout. Authorities dismissed the charge.

He has inspired at least two Bollywood movies and despite his fearsome reputation, Veerappan was seen by many villagers as a Robin Hood figure. (ANI)