KOCHI: The Bedi Brothers — Naresh Bedi and Rajesh Bedi — have remained at the forefront of wildlife filmmaking in India for over four decades. It is nothing but the passion that gave them the strength to overcome freezing temperatures, high-altitude camping, risks of animal attacks, and physical exhaustion.
Slowly, they have grown to become the pioneers of Indian wildlife filmmaking, capturing extensive footage of elusive species such as snow leopards, red pandas, gharial, Indian wild dogs, Himalayan lynx, and bar-headed geese. By focusing more on education and conservation, the brothers are trying to shape the public understanding of India’s natural history.
After graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune in 1969, Naresh, along with his younger brother Rajesh, started their journey into wildlife filmmaking together.
Rajesh was named Wildlife Photographer of the Year in Britain in 1986. In recognition of their contributions, the Bedi Brothers received the Padma Shri in 2015, along with the Whale Award at the Wildlife Asia Film Festival, and the Prithvi Ratna from the Centre for Media Studies.
The brothers have now been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). In a freewheeling chat with TNIE, they opened up about their career, motivations, the challenges of wildlife filmmaking, and more.
Excerpts:
You both started your careers in the 1960s and 70s. What keeps you going after all these decades?
Naresh Bedi: I think it’s basically passion. We have been observing love for animals and birds around us since childhood. Then there’s the guidance and training our father provided. We used to have a python in our house and in Delhi, people refused to come to our house because of this. We kept other animals too, some of which were mostly wounded and brought for treatment. Then, as we started studying them to a small degree — how they kill their prey, how much time it takes — all these basic interests grew slowly into photography. And that’s what kept us going, to learn and explore.
Rajesh Bedi: Secondly, not many were doing wildlife photography or wildlife filmmaking then, so there was a vacuum. Because of our upbringing, and love for nature, we slowly felt that this may be the right profession for us and the right time to talk about conservation, talk about animal life.
It must have been challenging to build a career in wildlife filmmaking, especially when you were starting out...
Naresh Bedi: Yes. Initially, it was difficult. After graduating from the institute, we had training in feature film styles — lighting sets, and working with actors — but we always wanted to make documentaries.
However, before we could achieve our goal and secure funding, we had to struggle hard. I did a lot of news coverage, and Rajesh worked as a cameraman in a studio and for the BBC on various subjects. Our breakthrough came with our first film, ‘The Ganges Gharial’, which focused on the unknown behavioural traits of these elusive crocodiles. It was an extremely challenging project as, at the time, there were only about 300 gharials left in the world.
We had no money or equipment, but our determination kept us going. We started with a small camera, no tripod, and limited lenses, but we wanted to prove to the world that we, as Indians, could achieve something significant in wildlife filmmaking. We took on significant risks, such as working in the Chambal Valley with tigers nearby. Rajesh once had to rush out of a hide for safety when a lone tusker approached.
Rajesh Bedi: I think it’s the challenge that drives you. Working with wild animals requires adjusting to the situation to capture their behaviour. And there’s no one to guide you. You are the master of your work. The freedom and choice you have without any compulsion make it worthwhile. Additionally, you are raising a voice for animals that can’t speak like humans. It’s deeply satisfying to raise these issues and create a love for animals through your work.
You graduated from the Film and Television Institute in 1969, said to be a golden era of Bollywood. Despite this, you chose to pursue a career in the documentary field, a path that often doesn’t bring much fame or financial reward. What was the motivation?
Naresh Bedi: In 1969, after graduating as the top student and winning a gold medal for the best film of the year, I was offered a feature film in Marathi cinema. However, I was more inclined towards documentaries, where I could maintain my independence and be fully responsible for my work. Unlike feature films, where the Director of Photography (DOP) is one part of a larger team and has to compromise, documentaries allow you full creative control and responsibility. If the film succeeds or fails, it’s entirely your own doing. This independence and the appeal of working with wildlife and nature is why I chose not to pursue a career in mainstream cinema. Instead, I returned to Delhi to start my work in documentaries.
Rajesh Bedi: I started photography at a very young age. Press photography also fascinated me, particularly the challenge of covering fast-paced events like sports or political meetings with limited time. However, after two years of covering similar events, I realised it was not my true calling and decided to focus on my work.
Can you describe a specific moment or experience from your career as a photojournalist that shaped your decision to transition into wildlife photography and how it influenced your approach to reporting on wildlife conservation?
Rajesh Bedi: There was a news story about someone importing two chimpanzees under a fake address in Delhi. I was assigned to cover it with the chief reporter. I went there and took some pictures. So from this wooden cart, you see the hand of this chimp or just the two eyes. And I made a very big photo with a caption and went to the editor. And he said that I always try to push wildlife pictures. But I said this is not purely wildlife. This is such a human-interest picture, of how these two chimps in a small wooden box were imported. This is inhuman. But anyway, they gave me good space.
Chasing Shadows is a deeply moving story, especially Karma’s (a snow leopard in Ladakh) death. How do you manage to forge an emotional bond with the audience in a wildlife documentary?
Naresh Bedi: When working with animals, you develop a bond and understanding of them. Karma initially avoided us but gradually became more accepting. We spent 20 days observing him with a kill, and despite his sharp senses detecting our presence, he continued to feed. Rajesh spent nearly 11 hours in a hide, capturing this moment. When we got the information that Karma was unwell, we rushed from Delhi to there. We were deeply affected by his condition and eventual death, which was likely due to natural causes, though we couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason. We trekked 6km through snow to reach the location before the forest team arrived. The emotional connection we felt with Karma convinced us that we had captured something special for the film.
Rajesh Bedi: When making a documentary, especially about something like snow leopards, you start with a basic concept and location. You can’t predict or plan specific sequences, like a character’s death. Instead, you film everything and assess what you have. A good documentary needs a strong ending, which is often unpredictable and requires time and editing. As you piece together the story, highlighting characters like the two or three siblings and the main leopard, you adjust sequences to create a narrative. This process involves revisiting footage and reworking the story until it feels right, resulting in a documentary that is emotionally engaging and well-structured.
What are your thoughts on platforms like IDSFFK?
Naresh Bedi: I don’t think there are many wildlife and nature films at this festival. But I think it’s a good initiative by the state government, to keep it alive. The documentary and short filmmakers were encouraged to come up with their films.
Rajesh Bedi: In India, wildlife and nature documentaries are rarely featured prominently in festivals. I think it would be beneficial to create a dedicated category to highlight conservation issues and the human-animal conflict. By showcasing such films, we can educate the younger generation and raise awareness about environmental conservation.
What is your experience in Kerala?
Both: It’s quite different from what we see in the north, where places can be chaotic and traffic is often unpredictable. Here, there’s a sense of calm.
Naresh Bedi: I would like to say that this is the first Lifetime Achievement Award we have received together, even though we have received other awards individually. We have always worked as a team, with a shared understanding and joint efforts in our projects. It’s an honour that the government and Chalachitra Academy recognised both of us together for our lifetime work.