The Elephant Whisperers: It’s the time for representation
This short documentary is the first Indian production to win at the Oscars.
Written by praveena sankar and Mansi Sharma
“While on the shoot we didn’t think it would end up where it did, so knowing that it was a labour of love that was recognised and loved feels extra special,” says Vidhaat Raman, the Director of Photography for The Elephant Whisperers on the historic win of the short documentary.
Last night was all about South India at the Oscars, with Naatu-Naatu taking the golden lady home for the best original song and the Elephant Whisperers winning in the documentary-short category. It was the first time two Indian women, Kartiki Gonsalves, the film’s director, and Guneet Monga, its producer, were nominated together for the Academy awards. The talented director-producer duo made history at the Oscars and took the coveted trophy home.
The Elephant Whisperers explores climate change while also shining a light on the unique relationship between mankind and animals. It follows the lives of Bomman and Bellie, the first couple to successfully raise two orphaned elephants in South India. They devoted their lives to caring for the orphaned elephants named Raghu and Ammu. Bomman and Bellie come from a long line of elephant carers at the Theppakkadu Elephant camp. The 50-year-old couple belong to the Kattunayakar tribe. Set in Mudumalai National Park, the couple rescues baby elephants who are lost from their herd. These calves are then tamed and trained in the camp.
Shot in the state of Tamil Nadu The Elephant Whisperer is a short simple documentary that explores the pure, unspoken love between the animals and their caregivers. ‘The elephant whisperers is a ‘documentary that is cross-cultural in its exposition, and speaks of caring for loved ones no matter the odds’ continues Vidhaat.
‘There’s power dynamics in the Indian cinema. Even though Bollywood is great and makes a lot of money, Bollywood does not represent entirety of India,’ says Masika Ismael, an MA journalism student at LCC. While Bollywood is a billion-dollar industry, it does little to show the diversity of the Indian culture. Dominated by colourful dance moves, Khan power and gravity defying action sequences, Bollywood fails to bring the multi-faceted India to the forefront. ‘The Elephant Whisperers does show that we have come a long way and the language as well. It shows the different dialects than just Hindi. It is a great piece of representation’, adds Masika.
While talking about his experience shooting for the documentary, Vidhaat says: ‘It was heartening to know how they (elephants) live their lives alongside their caregivers and to understand them as individuals with clear personalities.’
After making history at the Oscars the future for the Indian cinema and the unheard stories seems bright. ‘It definitely opens doors for more such warm and thoughtful cinema to flourish’ adds Vidhaat.
The historic win has given hope to aspiring film makers and is slowly paving a way for more thought-provoking cinema from the subcontinent. ‘Telling real-stories about people, culture & the environment unfiltered can invoke cultural changes within the society. There are more untold stories that the world is yet to know about, and this film has now paved a path for a new generation of documentary filmmakers and films’, shares Vignesh Mahesh, MA Film student at LCC.
