Operation Hot Pursuit is a racy account of conservationist Vivek Menon's mission to investigate the illegal trade in ivory in India, Taiwan and Japan. The film was recently launched by National Geographic Asia, in Singapore.

Directed by Nikhil Alva and written and narrated by Niret Alva, the film was commissioned by National Geographic and EDB, Singapore as part of a competition held last year for film makers from across Asia. The show was one of 10 films that were commissioned from over 500 entries from across Asia.

In Operation Hot Pursuit, the trail of the illegal ivory trade leads Vivek from the forests of southern India to the night markets of Taiwan and finally to the heart of the ivory industry in Japan. Illegal ivory traders are arrested in sting operations; hidden cameras establish how the illegal nexus works and secret recorded conversations prove that the illegal trade in ivory is rampant, highly lucrative and carried out with very high stakes. Pacy and told like a thriller, the film captures the live drama of the investigator in his dangerous quest.

According to the Alva brothers, Operation Hot Pursuit was a challenging film to do not only because it involved filming in different countries but because it also involved extensive undercover work. This required specialised journalistic expertise, the specialised use of 'concealed camera' equipment and innovation in all stages of making this film. A lot of technical research was done to first identify concealed camera equipment that would be most suitable to this film. Finally, the equipment was bought from a reputed firm in London. The team then underwent training on how to use the equipment, without attracting suspicion and getting pictures that would speak for themselves.

According to Nikhil, "The constant hallmark of the film was being caught off guard and having to think on one's feet... because when you are working with an undercover situation, it is not always in your control and you need to react as it changes."

Talking about their experience on this film, Niret believes that "It was the most exciting film we have ever made. It is a combination of detective work, hard core journalism and lots of patience, waiting for things to happen - overall a nail biting experience."

Cinematographer Gurvinder Singh calls it a "do or die situation." Using concealed cameras had its own set of difficulties; there was no possibility of retakes and no monitors to view the footage. He had to rely on his intuition and experience while framing shots and at the same time act as naturally as possible so that no-one had the slightest suspicion they were being filmed.