The elephant whisperer

Bomman and Bellie, the elderly protagonists of The Elephant Whisperers — the Indian documentary short that made the Oscar shortlist — met each other in an elephant camp deep inside the forests of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Love blossomed when both of them were assigned to care for an orphaned three-month-old baby elephant called Raghu. Over the 41-minute-runtime of The Elephant Whisperers, director Kartiki Gonsalves trains her gaze on this human-elephant blended family to paint an affecting portrait of caregiving and co-existence that ends up being a necessary balm for the current state of our polarized country. Bomman and Bellie belong to the indigenous Kattuanayakan tribe (the name translates to “king of the jungle”), a group of people who continue to live as hunter-gatherers in the forests of south India. Like him, Bomman’s grandfather and father were elephant caretakers and dedicated their entire lives in upholding the codes of man-animal cohabitation. Bomman grew up around elephants and started working as an elephant caretaker soon after his father died. Bellie on the other hand, was the only woman assigned to care for baby elephants in Tamil Nadu. For as long as they have lived, the forests served as the backdrop for all their joys and losses — Bellie’s husband was killed in a tiger attack and Bomman had to stop working with adult elephants after he was stabbed by a tusker. When Raghu came under their care, his life was similarly fractured — his mother ha...

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‘The Elephant Whisperers’ documentary review: A strikingly-lush safari on the co-existence of man and nature Kartiki Gonsalves’ documentary, which has been shortlisted for the 95th Oscars in the Documentary Short Film category, takes the audience on a mesmerising visual safari December 27, 2022 03:57 pm | Updated December 28, 2022 06:15 pm IST Surrounded by the Nilgiris, and just beyond the Mayar river, Bomman, Bellie, and their child Raghu (an elephant) live in the heart of Gonsalves’ documentary, which has been shortlisted for the 95 th Oscars in the Documentary Short Film category, takes the audience on a mesmerising visual safari as the trees change colour, the river gets replenished, and later in the summer, the forest burns in the heat. That is when Bomman and Bellie were given the charge of Raghu, an injured baby elephant separated from its herd. While Gonsalves’ focus remains on the bond that develops between Raghu and his caretakers, she makes quiet but effective points on the perennial human-animal conflict. The trio’s tale is also a crucial insight into when forest officials fail to Belonging to the Kattunayakan tribe, Bomman and Bellie’s life revolve around this forest. This is where their ancestors had worked to protect, and it is what they hope to pass along to their grandchildren. “We live off the forest, but we also protect it,” says Bellie, whose husband was killed by a tiger. This creates a chasm between her and the forest and she begins to fear the place...

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) • Flipboard • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) • Click to copy URL • Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ on Netflix, A Short Documentary About The “Beauty of Wild Spaces” • Filmed in 2019 in South India by director Kartiki Gonsalves, The Elephant Whisperers is a documentary short that aims to share the “beauty of wild spaces” in India and the world. The Gist: Bomman and Bellie are two elephant caretakers in Tamil Nadu. The Elephant Whisperers chronicles their special relationship with an orphaned baby elephant whom they’ve named Raghu as they nurse him back to health and share how the relationship with Raghu (and other elephants in their care) have changed their lives until he’s forcefully relocated to another sanctuary. What Will It Remind You Of?: Unlike most animal documentaries, The Elephant Whisperers isn’t a warning about an almost-extinct creature at the hands of vicious humans or inhumane practices in our everyday lives. Instead, it’s more about learning and bonding with the animals — like Performance Worth Watching: Bellie’s story is moving, as caring for elephants has filled the void left by her daughter who passed away young. She shares caretaking now with her granddaughter, who is learning to love the majestic creatures as part of her family. Memorable Dialogue: Indian culture ...

Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other. Show More • Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements) • Genre: Documentary, Short • Original Language: Tamil • Director: • Producer: • Release Date (Streaming): Dec 8, 2022 • Runtime: 41m • Production Co: Sikhya Entertainment