Bomman and Bellie sent a legal notice to Director Kartiki Gonsalves over discrimination and financial exploitation. 

Bomman and Bellie, the storytellers in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant whisperers’ have made it to the headlines over a legal notice issued against Kartiki Gonsalves. Here is everything you need to know! 

The documentary film directed by Kartiki Gonsalves,The Elephant Whisperers made history by winning in the Documentary Short Subject category. It has made it to headlines once again as a controversy surfaces against the makers of the film. Bomman and Bellie, the stars of the documentary film, issued the legal notice seeking a ‘goodwill gesture’ of Rs.2 crores. During the shoot of the film, the couples were promised to be provided with a proper house, an all-terrain multi purpose vehicle and sufficient financial support in exchange of the time and effort they put into the film (according to PTI) 

But when these promises weren’t met, both Bomman and Bellie are disappointed with Kartiki Gonsalves as she refuses to give even a fraction of the enormous profit that the film earned, Chennai-based social activist Pravin Raj, a lawyer by profession, told PTI. The couple is following the makers around and doing everything in their capacity to get the compensation after the film did well but Gonsalves ain’t picking up their calls, Pravin Raj added as quoted by PTI. 

Reply from the Sikhya entertainment on the legal notice 

The case of Bomman and Bellie is being handled by Advocate Mohammed Mansoor. He recently received a reply notice from Sikhya Entertainment on the behalf of Kartiki Gonsalves where she stated that she has already provided the couple with monetary benefits and she has also refused for any more help. 

In that, she has flatly refused any more help stating that she has already given money to the couple. I will be sending her a rejoinder in a couple of days after consulting with my clients,” said Mansoor.

As per the statement issued by Sikhya Entertainment, it has been stated that “The goal in creating ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has always been to highlight elephant conservation, the tremendous efforts of the forest department and its mahouts Bomman and Bellie. Since its launch, the documentary has raised awareness of the cause and had a real impact on the mahouts and cavadis community,” as seen by news agency PTI.

“Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin has made donations towards assisting the 91 mahouts and cavadis who look after the state’s elephants, constructing eco-friendly houses for the caretakers and developing an elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

The documentary has been celebrated by heads of state across India, and the Academy Award is a moment of national pride that has brought widespread recognition for the work of mahouts like Bomman and Bellie. All claims made are untrue. We have deep respect for all of the contributors of this story, and remain driven by the desire to create positive change.”

The Oscar win was historic and the makers do deserve recognition to bring the issues to big screens. Documentaries often feature and cover stories from marginalized communities, with the aim of showing stories that matter for which the subjects of the film or communities invest with their time and efforts. While the maker of the film gets enough recognition for their good work, we often see those subjects being cornered or forgotten. Rather than seeing these projects as a collaborative effort, we make it more about the production company. It all leads to remind us how there is a lack of authorities who can regulate these negotiations between independent filmmakers and their subjects. 

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