The story of Bomman and Bellie, the duo who, along with the elephant Raghu, headlined the Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers, has now hit a sour patch. In a recent interview, the couple alleged that the makers of the documentary have not remunerated them and had been irresponsive after the Oscar win.
The duo shared they were subjected to difficult situations during the making of the documentary, and added that they spent a large sum of money to cover the expenses of the shoot. They also alleged that they have filed a case against the makers who threatened them to take it back.
Now, the makers of The Elephant Whisperers, Sikhya Entertainment and Kartiki Gonsalves, have now responded to the allegations. In a statement, they said, “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. Our honourable chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK 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.”
