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The Elephant Whisperers

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For the 2009 book, see The Elephant Whisperer.

The Elephant Whisperers
Official release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Guneet Monga
  • Achin Jain
Cinematography
  • Karan Thapliyal
  • Krish Makhija
  • Anand Bansal
  • Kartiki Gonsalves
Edited by
  • Sanchari Das Mollick
  • Douglas Blush
Music by
  • Sven Faulconer
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • 8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
Running time
39 minutes
CountriesIndia
United States
LanguagesTamil
Jenu Kurumba[a]

The Elephant Whisperers is a 2022 Indian documentary film directed by Kartiki Gonsalves. The documentary is about the bond that develops between a couple and an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu, who was entrusted to their care. The film is produced by Mumbai based production house Sikhya Entertainment, led by Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain.

The film had its world premiere on 9 November 2022 at Doc NYC Film Festival, a film festival for documentaries in the United States.[3][4] It was released by Netflix globally on 8 December 2022 for streaming.[5] It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards,[6][7] making it the first Indian film to win an Academy Award in that category,[8] surpassing other nominees such as Stranger at the Gate and How do you Measure a Year?.[9]

Plot

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Raghu (juvenile male elephant; left) and Ammu (right), the stars of the film, at Mudumalai National Park, Tamil Nadu, India

Set in the Mudumalai National Park in the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states of India, The Elephant Whisperers tells the story of an indigenous couple named Bomman and Bellie who are entrusted with an orphaned baby Indian elephant named Raghu. They take great pains to ensure that the fragile, injured infant survives and grows to be a healthy juvenile. A strong bond develops between the couple and the elephant. They adopt another elephant Ammukutty and eventually have to give up Raghu.[3][10]

Production

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A family group of elephants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, India

The documentary follows the story of Bomman and Bellie, elephant caretakers belonging to the Kattunayakan tribe. Director Kartiki Gonsalves stated, "I met Raghu when he was exactly three months old," she added, "I spent about a year and a half with him when he was a tiny baby before this became a documentary."

The team spent nearly five years living the ongoing story of these caregivers and their baby elephant, working in a verite mode of letting the daily life and events of Bomman and Bellie tell the story of a life of an orphaned baby elephant (and his sudden unlikely sister, Amu!).

Our intention in the process of documenting the journey of the protagonists was to create a fully immersive experience of the traditional elephant caregiver mahouts of southern India, in a way that honours the lifestyle and traditions of the Kattunayakan people, an ancient tribal community that Bomman and Bellie belong to who have been living with elephants for centuries.

The documentary looked at the scientific aspects of elephant rescue and rehabilitation while emphasising on the traditional practices of calf rearing. Wildlife Biologist, Dr. Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan who has been studying elephant behaviour in the wild and in captivity, was the scientific advisor of the documentary.

Reception

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The Elephant Whisperers team at the 95th Academy Awards

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[11]

Romey Norton of Ready Steady Cut rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and said that "It packs a small punch and is definitely worth the watch, especially if you love elephants."[12] Poulomi Das, reviewing for Firstpost, wrote that the "narrative is fairly straightforward, [and] the storytelling manages to be simultaneously gentle and persuasive." Praising the cinematography, Das wrote "the film is elevated by its stunning cinematography." Das opined that "Much of the beauty of the film lies in the understated coming-of-age of the film’s narrative that draws ample parallels between humans and animals." Das said that The Elephant Whisperers "is ultimately a love-story about the power of community," and concluded by saying, "the film champions the dignity of — all kinds of — life."[13] Manjeet Singh of Leisure Byte, reviewing the film, praised it, writing, "the complete documentary appears more like an experience that needs to be felt, than rather just to be seen." Singh opined that "The docufilm is capable of making you cry, or even sob" and it is "the finest presentation of the year."[14] Outlook India wrote that the film is not just a heart-touching story of a bond between animal and human and co-existence, but also showcases Indian culture and tradition of environment conservation.[15]

Controversy

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In an interview with The Hindu, the tribal couple 'Bomman and Bellie' said they were exploited while shooting the 41-minute documentary. They further allege that the filmmakers did not remunerate them or deliver on the promises made, and that the director, who was amiable during the shoot, became distant after the movie won fame. All of these claims have been denied by the filmmakers.[16] Bomman subsequently backtracked on his complaint in a video reported by India Today. He stated that he did not know who sent the legal notice, nor did he know the advocate or have any evidence.[17]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards 12 March 2023 Best Documentary Short Film Kartiki Gonsalves, Guneet Monga Won [18][6][19][20]
DOC NYC 9 November 2022 Shorts: Change Makers The Elephant Whisperers Shortlisted [21]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 16 November 2022 Score – Short Film (Documentary) Sven Faulconer Nominated [22]
IDA Documentary Awards 10 December 2022 Best Short Documentary The Elephant Whisperers Nominated [23]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Bomman and Bellie also speak this language of the Kattunayakan tribe, which is a mixture of Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ Keswani, Pallavi (27 December 2022). "'The Elephant Whisperers' documentary review: A strikingly-lush safari on the co-existence of man and nature". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Indigenous People's Plan: Kattunayakans" (PDF). Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b Carey, Matthew (18 October 2022). "DOC NYC Shortlist Announcement Brings Focus To Wide-Open Documentary Awards Race". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. ^ "The Elephant Whisperers". Doc NYC. 9–27 November 2022. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. ^ IANS (22 November 2022). "Documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' To Drop On December 8 On Netflix". Outlook. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Hilary (24 January 2023). "Oscars: Full List of Nominations". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  7. ^ "2023 Oscars Nominations: See the Full List". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  8. ^ "The Elephant Whisperers scripts history with 1st Oscar for an Indian production, Guneet Monga says 'two women did it'". Hindustan Times. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  9. ^ "The Elephant Whisperers: Indian short documentary is best at Oscars 2023". 13 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Documentary The Elephant Whisperers set to release on December 8". The Tribune. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  11. ^ "The Elephant Whisperers (Documentary/Short 2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  12. ^ Norton, Romey (8 December 2022). "The Elephant Whisperers review – touching story of a couples life with elephants". Ready Steady Cut. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  13. ^ Das, Poulomi (23 December 2022). "The Elephant Whisperers review: A moving love story about the power of community". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  14. ^ Singh, Manjeet (8 December 2022). "The Elephant Whisperers Review: Invisible Language of Love". Leisure Byte. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  15. ^ Sur, Prateek (7 February 2023). "'The Elephant Whisperers' Showcases How Much India Has To Offer To The World Of Cinema". Outlook. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  16. ^ The Hindu Bureau (5 August 2023). "'The Elephant Whisperers' Bomman and Bellie allege exploitation by docu makers; Kartiki Gonsalves calls claims "untrue"". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  17. ^ Madhav, Pramod; Janani, K (7 August 2023). "The Elephant Whisperers' Bomman backtracks his statements: No idea who sent legal notice". India Today. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  18. ^ "95th Oscars: See the Full List of Winners Here". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  19. ^ 95th Oscar Nominations Announcement | Hosted by Riz Ahmed & Allison Williams. Oscar. YouTube. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  20. ^ 'The Elephant Whisperers' Wins Best Documentary Short Film | 95th Oscars (2023)
  21. ^ "Shortlist Shorts: Change Makers". Doc NYC. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 HMMA Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  23. ^ "38th IDA Documentary Awards Shortlists for Best Features and Shorts". International Documentary Association. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
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