WHAT! ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ Bomman and Bellie allege exploitation by the makers of the award-winning documentary, says report

This year has been extremely special for India at the globally prestigious award platform of the Oscars. Everyone had pinned their hopes on the cult film ‘RRR’s track ‘Naatu Naatu’. And the said track did win it big for India, which was definitely expected by many. Amidst all the hype and hoopla that had surrounded the said track, there was also one more award for India in the category of ‘Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film’.

In no time, the film put India on the global map, in addition to the laurels earned by RRR's track ‘Naatu Naatu’. It was Guneet Monga who had gone to the prestigious Oscars in order to collect the award. Back home, many media started interviewing Bomman and Bellie, who happen to be the real elephant whisperer and the duo on whom the film was based. But, as per a news report in The Hindu, it has been reported that, the couple (Bomman and Bellie) have now alleged that the makers of the documentary have not remunerated them and had been unresponsive after winning the Oscar.

The said news also stated that, Sikhya Entertainment and Kartiki Gonsalves (who happen to be the makers of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’) have issued a media statement, through which they said that The goal in creating ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ had always been to highlight elephant conservation, the tremendous efforts of the Forest Department and its mahouts Bomman and Bellie.

The statement added that, since the launch, the said documentary had raised awareness of the cause and had a real impact on the Mahouts and Cavadis community. It also added that, the honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, haf made donations towards assisting the 91 Mahouts and Cavadis who look after the state’s elephants, constructing eco-friendly houses for the caretakers and developing an Elephant Camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

The said media statement also added that they have a deep respect for all of the contributors of this story, and remain driven by the desire to create positive change and that all the claims made were untrue.

Meanwhile, the news report stated that our country’s President Droupadi Murmu is expected to meet Bomman and Bellie.