Elephant Whisperers: Indian couple in Oscar-winning elephant film sue makers

A indigenous couple at the centre of an Oscar-winning Indian film has sued its makers, alleging mistreatment.

Elephant Whisperers tells the story of Bomman and Bellie as they care for an orphaned and injured baby elephant inside the Mudumulai Tiger Reserve in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The Netflix film made history at the Oscars by becoming the first Indian production to win in the Best Documentary Short Film category earlier this year.

And it turned the caretakers, Bomman and Bellie, into overnight sensations. After the film's success, they were felicitated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who presented them with a cheque of 100,000 rupees ($1,207; £949.4) each, along with a citation.

The two also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the elephant camp in April.

But the couple has now sued the film's director Kartiki Gonsalves and Sikhya Entertainment - the production company run by award-winning producer Guneet Monga - alleging that they were not compensated properly for their participation.

They have sought 20m rupees "as a gesture of goodwill" and said the money would take care of their housing as well as their needs in old age. It's not clear when the case will be heard but the couple's lawyers have told Indian media that they would continue fighting.

The filmmakers have denied the allegations. In a statement to BBC Tamil, the director and the producer said they had "deep respect" for all contributors of the story.

Gonsalves, who responded to a message on WhatsApp, added: "All the allegations made by Bomman-Bellie are false, there is no truth in their allegations."

Shot in the stunning vistas of the Nilgiri mountains, The Elephant Whisperers follows Bomman and Bellie as they care for Raghu, an injured baby elephant who gets separated from his herd.

The couple belong to the Kattunayakan community, a tribal group that has been protecting the forest for generations.

The film was praised for highlighting their efforts at wildlife conservation as it featured moving scenes that showcased the bond forged between the animals and their human caretakers.

The couple sent a legal notice to the makers in June but it became public last month when they gave an interview to a YouTube channel.

The couple alleged that the makers made several promises to them at the time of the shoot which they failed to keep. This includes, buying them a house and providing financial support for participating in the documentary.

"Gonsalves met us and said she was going to make a short documentary on us. We had no idea that the film would win an award. We simply did what she said,'' Bomman told BBC Tamil. "During the shoot, the director told us that she will build a house for us and get us a car."

But when the couple checked their bank account, they realised they had not received the money, they alleged.

"We have not got anything except the 100,000 rupees given by the chief minister and a government job. Gonsalves did not fulfil her promises and she did not pay us either. She didn't do anything for us,'' Bomman said.

The couple also alleged they had to spend their own money to cover the expenses of the shoot and had lent a sum of 40,000 rupees to Gonsalves which she did not return - a charge she denied.

In their legal notice, a copy of which was accessed by BBC Tamil, Bomman and Bellie said they had not received fair benefits from the huge commercial gains made by Gonsalves, Monga and Sikhya Entertainment.

They added that their "skill, time and effort should be compensated proportionately at least after the roaring success of the documentary short film".

Last week, Gonsalves and Sikhya Entertainment issued a joint statement denying the allegations. "All claims made are untrue. We have a deep respect for all of the contributors of this story, and remain driven by the desire to create positive change," they said.

In their statement to BBC Tamil, the makers added that the documentary raised awareness and had real impact on the community that took care of the animals. "The documentary's success was a 'moment of national pride' that has brought widespread recognition for the work of mahouts like Bomman and Bellie," they said.

This is not the first time Indian subjects of award-winning films have taken issue with its makers in the aftermath of the film's success.

In 2021, directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh made a documentary on Khabar Lahariya, an all-women news service run mostly by editors and reporters from the most marginalised Dalit, Muslim and tribal communities.

The film was nominated at the 2022 Oscars. But a week before the ceremony, the media group distanced itself from the documentary, accusing the filmmakers of "distorting" its story - a charge the filmmakers denied.

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