Protagonists of Oscar-winning docu 'The Elephant Whisperers' can't watch the film at home, here's why
Written By Heena Sharma
Published: Mar 13, 2023, 02:19 IST | Updated: Mar 13, 2023, 02:19 IST
Protagonists of Oscar-winner docu 'The Elephant Whisperers' can't watch the film at home, here's why
Her efforts of raising two orphaned baby elephants, captured in the documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' is now a global sensation after having won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Yet, she is just coming to terms with understanding the magnitude and the significance of the feat.
A middle-aged woman from the indigenous Kattunayaka tribal community, Bellie does not possess a mobile phone or have a social media account to know how far her story has reached!
Even if she did possess the requisite gadgets, there's no stable internet connectivity or 4G mobile network where she lives!
"My story #TheElephantWhisperer having won #Oscars has brought cheer to tribals, Forest Dept. We've been living in the forest with no exposure, raising baby elephants has taken us so far" says tribal woman Bellie
Millions will watch her film, but she can't. No 4G where she lives! pic.twitter.com/M593dscaKH
"My story(Elephant Whisperers documentary) having won the Oscar award has brought cheer to everyone in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve... The Forest department officials, adivasi (indigenous tribal)) community, everyone are delighted... No one has done something of this sort for recognizing the efforts of our people in Mudumalai...We've been living in the Mudumalai forest and have no exposure to the outside world... Me having raised those two elephant calves is what has taken us so far..." she says.
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The story of a human couple (Bomman and Bellie) showering love towards the orphaned elephant calves is striking, because of how it is set in a dense forest that is extremely prone to adverse interactions between humans and animals.
In Mudumalai and adjoining regions, there have been several instances of local residents being fatally attacked by wild animals and there have also been cruel and mindless acts of violence that people have committed against wildlife.
In early 2021, WION had reported from Mudumalai about how miscreants had hurled a burning object to chase away an injured wild tusker, eventually leading to its tragic and painful death.
"Only now I knew& understood that #ElephantWhisperers has reached as far as #Oscars
Not just me who deserves appreciation for raising the baby elephants..The Doctor, Forest Officials - DD, FD, Ranger, everyone helped me & offered all that I needed" says Bellie, the protagonist pic.twitter.com/2i9mmbgxYS
"The Documentary(Elephant whisperers) has gone as far as the Oscar awards...Only now I knew and understood that it has reached that far... Its not just me that deserves appreciation for raising the baby elephants... the Doctor, Compounder, Forest Officials - Deputy Director, Field Director, Ranger... Everyone helped me and provided me with all I needed and hence it was possible to raise both the baby elephants..." Bellie says.
The Elephant Whisperers marks the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves, an Indian documentary filmmaker and photographer. This documentary was released on Netflix on 8 December 2022.
While many devices across the globe would now be streaming 'The Elephant Whisperers', there's one place where it wouldn't be possible to do so. The Theppakadu region of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. It is where Bomman and Bellie stay.
This dense forest region, which lays within the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, is almost at the tri-junction of the southern Indian states Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Here, mobile data (4G) signals are not available and only voice calls or very limited mobile data usage is possible, as the only network that works in the region is that of the government-run BSNL.
Streaming the 'The Elephant Whisperers' from Theppakkadu on Netflix will remain a distant dream!
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