‘The Elephant Whisperers’ was born when the camera opened its eyes to the sight of a beauty like the Thrissur elephant. Kunju Kompan, who was orphaned when the electricity fence took the life of his mother, Bomman, who regained his life from the killing cry of Kompan, Belly, who was isolated following her husband was bitten by a tiger, all the eyes, ears and minds of the world are now the ways to them. The Oscar for short documentary went to The Elephant Whisperers, which captured the biological love relationship of primitive life on the silver screen. The journey of the documentary focuses on Bomman and Belli, who were taken care of by the dying Raghuna Kuttiyana. When Raghu returns to the elephant nursery, Ammunna’s baby comes to them. The love they share for elephants is in the words of Belli and Boman, ‘The language is not the same, they are part of us’. The film also has the message of wild animals interacting with wild animals. The backdrop is Theppakkad Elephant Rehabilitation Center inside Muthumala National Park, Tamil Nadu, which is also a tiger sanctuary. The 39-minute documentary is in Tamil. It was a rescued baby elephant in 2017 that brought director Karthiki Gonsalves, a native of Ooty, to the documentary. Sridhar Vijayakrishnan of Thrissur Tirur, an elephant researcher who gave scientific advice, made a Malayali presence at the Oscars. The producers are Guneet Monge and Achin Jain. It is also worth noting that the story of elephant-human bond in the midst of debatable human-wildlife conflicts is worthy of an Oscar. Read on deshabhimani.com
