Karthik Gonsalves | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Karthik Gonsalves’ directorial debut elephant whispering is one of the three Indian films Nominated for the 95th Academy Awards, Nominated for Best Documentary Short Film, the 41-minute film depicts the bond a South Indian couple, Boman and Bailey, share with an orphaned elephant, Raghu.
For Karthik, the journey to documenting Raghu began around six years ago when he saw Boman taking him to a river for a bath. Seeing Kartiki peeping from his car, Boman asks him to come with him. The Oscar-nominated director recalls Raghu rolling around and splashing himself with water. “Raghu loves water like I have never seen before,” says Kartiki on a Zoom call. She developed a special bond with the orphaned elephant in no time and credits the concept of the film to her love for him. “I see that Raghu is like a son to Boman. He wraps his trunk around Bomman’s hand and follows him everywhere.”
A scene from the documentary. , photo credit: netflix
His fascination for Bond Bowman and Raghu Share led to the making of the documentary.
The documentary also served as a learning curve for the director, who claims that he learned everything about elephants only after meeting Raghu. Kartiki met the Asian elephant when his mother died of electrocution when she went to a nearby village in search of food and water during a prolonged drought in the region. At a time when the Asian elephant’s habitat is shrinking rapidly due to encroachment and climate change, she wanted to focus on pockets of positive stories.
“The most striking thing about the story is the unusual family dynamic that Boman and Bailey share with Raghu.” His inspiration to translate Raghu’s story for the screen came from a desire for people to understand elephants on a deeper level by recognizing their intelligence. And his inspiration was only fueled by his desire to give a voice to indigenous peoples and show their importance in conservation efforts.
Boman and Raghu in a scene from ‘The Elephant Whispers’. , photo credit: netflix
She admits that letting Bauman and Bailey narrate the documentary was a conscious choice and thinks it ultimately works in the film’s favor as viewers can connect with the story. Kartiki is not a fan of people speaking on behalf of the indigenous community as she claims that it is up to them to share their stories, knowledge and wisdom. “When someone else comes to you and recites it, you completely lose the emotional connection,” she says. Kartikey admits that she finds it difficult to connect with the subjects of her documentaries when she is not emotionally involved in them. “it [documentary] In my view it was a test to see if this method of storytelling could reach people on a different level and connect them with people and subjects they haven’t seen before. If I had made a documentary on Asian elephants without Bowman and Bailey, would it have had the same effect? she thinks out loud.
Born into a family of nature enthusiasts and explorers, Kartiki was introduced to nature before she could walk and went camping in the woods when she was barely 18 months old. Since then, she has continued to return to the forests, wildlife, and communities that inhabited them in efforts to document them. With a post-graduation in professional photography and specialization in nature, wildlife and culture, she started as a photojournalist but soon realized that it was hard to sustain and hence, started learning and experimenting with filmmaking. A medium she claims is powerful when it comes to making an impact.
Before work began on her Oscar-nominated project, she was part of the camera crews for Discovery and Animal Planet on the verge Where he helped document the conservation efforts of researchers and scientists to save the Asiatic Black Bear from extinction. “My conservation philosophy is that human empathy transcends diversity and connects us all to an environmental cause. This made a documentary an obvious choice. It seeks to discuss solutions and successful conservation efforts with a sense of environmental responsibility.” wants to focus its work on creating a platform to increase
Filming the documentary at a time when women directors are few and far between, Karthiki admits that going with the permission was difficult. However, she hopes that the efforts of directors like her will help pave a way for women in the future.
A scene from ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. , photo credit: netflix
The Academy Award-nominated director has mentioned that at the time of the documentary’s conception and during its production, he had no intention of being a part of the Oscar race, but thanks to a last-minute decision, he is now one step away from the coveted statuette. But his hands
Kartiki, who is still in touch with the couple, reveals that Boman and Bailey are excited to be in the news and meet new people every day. Fan art from around the world also reaches his home through a government official.
She occasionally stops by the couple’s house for a cup of tea and a quick chat. “Bailey had tears in her eyes the last time I spoke to her. She is very happy that people are appreciating her and her association with Raghu.
The Elephant Whispers, produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain under the banner of Sikh Entertainment, is currently streaming on Netflix.