The Elephant Whisperers: Oscar-Winner Celebrates Bond Between Humans And Wildlife

Love can do anything, it can conquer the biggest challenges of life, that is what Raghu- the elephant represents in the documentary- The Elephant Whisperers. The story is about an unconventional chosen family of Bellie and Bomman and two elephants.

The documentary is an extraordinary story of Raghu and Ammu, two abandoned elephants, later put in the guardianship of Bomman, who calls himself a Kattunayakan meaning king of the forest. The forest is home for him and as he says, 'This is home, where I belong, where the wild animals roam free." It simply hints co-existence of man and nature whereas Bellie, never an elephant care-taker provided all she had for the sake of love. And every ounce of the documentary makes you feel that love.

It is natural, whatever Bellie and Bomman say, their words though in regional dialect sound poetic and capture the love that they both have for their chosen family. That is what touched me- The unconditional love between them. 

The Elephant Whisperers: Celebrates Bond Between Human And Wild

I watched the documentary The Elephant Whisperers after it was nominated for an Oscar, but let me tell you Oscar or no Oscar, it is still worth a watch. One word that describes the documentary is patience. The director Kartiki Gonsalves has shown a lot of patience in capturing every moment viewed in the documentary. The story reflects the strings of events in such a fashion that there is no weak moment or bore you, it is emotionally rich. 

The documentary starts with the voices of wildlife animals, with a man named Bomman in the frame. The documentary is centred around the loving bond between Bomman and Bellie and the two orphaned elephant calves they raised — Raghu and Ammu. Kartiki Gonsalves follows a family of four, across all the seasons of the forest. Bomman and Bellie hail from Kattunayakar Tribe, a forest community that resides in the Mudumalai Forest Reserve in Tamil Nadu, India, which is also home to elephants. All four live in the heart of the Theppakadu Elephant camp, at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. 

The makers establish the location Mudumalai giving a cinematographical and aerial view of the place, and the life of people residing in the vicinity. Later, unfolds the story of Raghu and his family of Bomman, Bellie, and Baby Ammu.

The Elephant Whisperers starts by showcasing a day with Raghu and Bomman. The documentary shows what a day in the life of Raghu looks like, how Bomman met Raghu and the journey they travelled so far. Next, it gives a sneak peek into the past of Raghu and addresses the key issue of how a change in climate and man-made destructions affect wildlife. Through Raghu and his family, the documentary gives a larger message about the threat to wildlife. The focus may be on the bond between Raghu and his caretakers but doesn't fail to point out perennial human-animal conflict. 

Bomman speaks vividly about Raghu's health and what it took to make him healthy as he is now. In between lies the conflict of Raghu's life, which makes evident the forest department's failure to reunite babies separated from their herd. Little later, Bellie is introduced- she is the only female caretaker of elephants in the village. She is a widow, who endured loss and grief in her life and finds solace in being a mother of elephants. Bellie speaks of loss in her life- about her husband, and daughter. Raghu soothes her pain in some way, she finds relief and peace when around him.

Baby Ammu comes much later in the documentary, again a lost child, Bellie and Bomman take Ammu and provide the same care. The director has carved a family out of their bond, and the relationship between Bomman and Bellie evolves too, that is one of the teary as well as happy moments. The love between them started from caring for their elephants.

The Elephant Whisperers shows the chemistry between the two on a light note but does make it very evident. It also captures a family photo of all four. However, nothing lasts long, and Bellie and Bomman had to face another loss.  Though they are the emotions of animals, you can still relate to the trauma all four have been going through. At that moment, you might start loving your pet more if you have any. 

The Elephant Whisperers also underlines the life of the tribal community and what the forest means to them. Bellie points out they do depend on the forest but only for necessity and make sure to protect their motherland. Tribal mooching of the forest has been the biggest controversy of contemporary times, and Bellie's perspective is important to deny this narrative. At the same time, the couple also male a conversation about how humans tampering with nature is hurtful. That for me has been the most revealing part. 

Every bit of the documentary touched me and felt nice and easygoing. The simple depiction of emotions can also take your heart that is what The Elephant Whisperers do. And again love can be in any form, it doesn't require a guide to happen.  

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