#Oscar95 The Elephant Whisperer from India WON

In 2022, Indian-American documentary filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves made her feature-length directorial debut with The Elephant Whisperers, a short documentary shot in Tamil.

The film explores the relationship that forms between a couple and Raghu, a baby elephant who was left in their care after his mother died.

The movie, which was made by Sikhya Entertainment, had its international premiere on November 9, 2022, at the DOC NYC Film Festival, a documentary film festival in the United States.

Netflix made the movie available for viewing across the globe on December 8, 2022.  It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards, making it the first Indian film to do so. 

What is the premise of The Elephant Whisperers?

It centers on the relationship between the film's two human protagonists, Bomman and Bellie, and their two elephant calves, Raghu and Ammu.

A tribal couple from the Kattunayakar group is seen in the video caring for the orphaned elephant Raghu, who was left by his herd in a village after his mother was electrocuted.

Eventually, Ammu, a three-month-old orphan elephant, is adopted by Bellie and Bomman.

Elephants mature into adolescence much like humans do, becoming more independent and less receptive to advice. "If they're permitted to keep acting like that, the outcome won't be good in the long run,"

Afterward, the forest department transfers Raghu to a different mahout (caretaker) who has better knowledge of young elephants.

Bomman and Bellie, who dearly miss Raghu, are discouraged by this. Ammu, who is shown in one of the instances of dabbing Bellie's tears, has a good understanding of their feelings.

What inspired the documentary's creation?

Gonsalves once encountered Raghu while returning from the Nilgiris district's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, which is close to the Theppakadu Elephant Camp."She encountered Raghu as a three-month-old calf while driving home".

Gonsalves remembered being taken aback by Raghu's lighthearted nature. The videographer says she met Bomman who then invited her to revisit and get to know the pachyderm.

Gonsalves also gave an account of her interactions with the elephant calf. She made this documentary because Raghu captured my heart initially.

She spent five years following Raghu's journey and accumulated about 450 hours of video. There are countless Raghu baths there, as well as countless hours of him playing or eating. You get scenes like the one where Bellie tells Ammu to sit down next to her, but you need to be patient (with something like this). 

"The Elephant Whisperers" enables viewers to discover more about elephants and the people who care for them, including how they interact, communicate, and grow closer over time. Instead of concentrating on the drawbacks of man-animal conflict, She chose to emphasize the benefits of that coexistence. The filmmaker continued, "She wanted The Elephant Whisperers to show that selfless teamwork and to be that beacon of hope".

Gonsalves, who shared the honor with producer Guneet Monga at the 95th Academy Awards on March 13, 2023, said:

"I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and for empathy towards other living beings, we share our space with... To Bomman and Bellie, for sharing their scared tribal wisdom... To my motherland India.",

Where was the film filmed?

The documentary was filmed in the picturesque Mudumalai forests of the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India.

Gudalur is the city closest to the sanctuary. Mudumalai is reachable by the NH-67, which is located 100 km from Mysore, 39 km from Ooty, and 3 km from Gudalur. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway's Udagamadalam station, located roughly 64 kilometres from Madumalai, is the closest train hub.  Coimbatore junction is a major broad gauge railroad station close by. All of the nation's major cities are easily accessible from this station. The closest airport, located 35.5 kilometres away, is Bangalore Airport.