'Gods in shackles' to be screened in capital

KOCHI: People in the capital city will get an opportunity to view 'Gods in Shackles', a documentary exposing the exploitation of elephants in the state. The multiple award winning and UN nominated documentary that exposes the hideous torture stories of captive elephants in the backdrops of festivals, will be screened for the public at Kalabhavan Theatre on Wednesday at 11 am.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, ministers AK Balan, Kadakampally Surendran, C Raveendranath and K Raju, Additional Chief Secretary Nalini Netto, DGP Loknath Behra, Vigilance director Jacbo Thomas and former DGPs Jacob Punnose, Raman Srivasthava and Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh are expected to attend the screening.

It's the third public screening of the documentary in India. The docu was produced  and directed by Sangita Iyer, an award winning journalist and film maker. “The attempt is to expose the harsh realities of Kerala’s captive elephants, the pain and suffering they endure behind the glamorous ornaments and cultural celebrations," said Sangita Iyer.

Gods in Shackles was nominated by the International Elephant Film Festival at the United Nations General assembly and has won seven international film festival awards including the Los Angeles Cinefest Award, Hollywood International Independent Documentary Film Festival Award, The IMPACT Docs - Award of Merit, Golden Award at the World Documentary Awards.

As a part of the production, the crew followed the lives of four celebrity elephants for over a year. A fifth male elephant 'Sundar' who is featured in the film had made international headlines. As many as 156 elephants had died during 2012-14, as per the official data. In Kerala, more than 53 elephants succumbed to serious injuries in 2015. The death toll stands at 11 elephants and nine humans in 2016.