MYSURU/BENGALURU: Superstar-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Tuesday completed shooting a sequence for Man vs Wild with British wildlife adventurer Bear Grylls in the core critical habitat of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. But minor scratches he suffered during the shoot became a talking point. Rajinikanth was shooting for the second part of the Man v/s Wild series, the first part of which gained popularity after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was featured in it.
According to forest officials, Rajinikanth suffered minor bruises while walking on the Tiger Trail road in Mullehole, Chammanal, near the anti-poaching camp. “He suffered scratches on his arm because of lantana weeds. The shooting time was cut down as the actor had to be attended to,” the official said.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Sanjai Mohan, said: “Rajinikanth will not be shooting another day because he had permission only for a day. His injuries are not serious and were immediately attended to.”
The day began with protests by conservationists demanding that permission to shoot not be given as it was the dry and forest-fire season, especially since forests of Karnataka were vulnerable to fire accidents this time of the year.But the forest department gave permission to shoot the documentary in the presence of Assistant Conservator of Forests or Range Forest Officer and directed the crew to follow the regulations as per the Wildlife Protection Act.
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Rajinikanth started the shoot for the documentary directed by Bear Grylls, who flew in a helicopter to join the star who had stayed at a resort in Bandipur National Park.As soon as he arrived, the crew went into action as they reached Kemanahalla behind Himavath Gopalaswamy Hills, a core forest area in Maddur range of Bandipur National Park.
Rajinikanth was taken on an interior forest road along with forest personnel to reach Kemannahalla behind Himavath Gopalaswamy hills. The forest personnel and crew members were on the road to ensure that vehicles were not parked on the national highway leading to congestion.
Many were upset as the shooting was held deep inside the forest as they could not have a glimpse of their favourite hero Rajinikanth. Man vs Wild featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become a global hit after it was shot in Jim Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand.
Sources said Rajinikanth and the crew packed up at 5.30 pm as the Forest Department imposed conditions on the makers of the documentary-- Banijay Group, one of world’s largest independent content creation group for television and multimedia platforms, and Mumbai-registered Seventaurus Entertainment Studio Private Limited -- that the shooting be done between 6 am and 6 pm. Rajinikanth suffering minor bruises and requiring first aid also contributed to the early pack-up, they said, adding that the star went by the rulebook to wind up the shoot much before the deadline.
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is scheduled to join the crew on Wednesday to shoot his part in the series. Meanwhile, former journalist and wildlife activist Joseph Hoover had opposed shooting inside Bandipur Reserve when forest officials were busy protecting Bandipur National Park from forest fires which damaged more than 4,800 acres last year. He felt shooting should have been allowed in the monsoon season when the forest personnel were free and the humidity and moisture content in the trees was high, posing a lesser risk of forest fires.
He also appealed to Rajinikanth to prevail upon the Tamil Nadu government to ban night safari in neighbouring Mudumalai forest.
A few others also objected to shooting in Bandipur that has seen worst forest fires in the past two years -- the forest is known for its rich wildlife density with 200 tigers, 2,000 elephants, sambars, leopards and other wild animals.
However, the forest officials said directions had been issued to forest staffers to ensure that the exercise of creating fire lines and regular works in the department were not halted because of the presence of celebrities.
The department stated that there was no damage to tree growth or disturbance to wildlife, and that they had banned use of fire explosives, lights and generators. The condition included the filmmakers would compensate the government for any loss during the shooting.