The Elephant Whisperers not only bagged the honour of an Academy Award under the Best Documentary Short category but also gave a platform of recognition to the voice of the indigenous tribe. At times when the West is still grappling to understand India’s heterogeneity beyond Bollywood, a rooted story from Tamil Nadu became a form of representation of southern India among the many seated at one of the West’s glorious award ceremonies.
A home-grown story from the state, The Elephant Whisperers is set in Theppakadu Elephant Camp. It follows two elephant caretakers, Bomman and Bellie, who become parents to two elephant calves Raghu and Ammukutty. Beyond exploring the wildlife, the documentary also throws light on the culture of the people of the land and the human-animal relationship and shatters rigid stigmas.
Speaking to us, cinematographer Anand Bansal who worked on the short said, “It is really a happy moment for all of us and I am still overwhelmed about the award. I am still figuring out how to feel about it, to be honest.”
Anand shot the documentary along with director Karthik Gonsalves and fellow cinematographers Karan Thapliyal and Krish Makhija. When asked if the team expected such a big win for their team, Anand says, “I think no one while making the film expected where it would go. We were trying to shoot a film at that moment and make it as honestly as we can."
"All of us were in that mindset and we were trying to only tell a story as honestly as possible.” The cinematographer also recalls the first time he met the jumbos. “I think the first time I met the elephants, Ammu and Raghu, to understand them and vice versa because you are shooting very close to them..so those moments of relationship building was a humbling experience indeed.”
While still acknowledging how this time Oscars was a moment of representation of India’s heterogeneity with a Telugu song Naatu Naatu winning an award, along with a tale that is rooted in Tamil Nadu, Anand also puts forth another point in focus.
“More Indian documentary filmmakers should get support, which will become an even bigger win in the future. Documentary filmmakers should get more support to make the difference they want to make because there are voices that tend to get lost,” he adds.