Bellie, Bomman allege exploitation by director Kartiki Gonsalves of 'The Elephant Whisperers' fame

Bellie and Bomman levelled serious allegations against Oscar winner Kartiki Gonsalves. In a recent interview, they spoke about Kartiki Gonsalves alleging that she failed to return Rs 1 lakhs, which they had spent during the shooting of the documentary.

Hyderabad:Bellie and Bomman levelled serious allegations against the Oscar winner, the director of 'The Elephant Whisperers' Kartiki Gonsalves. They alleged that Kartiki Gonsalves was very close with them during the shooting of the documentary, but she changed after winning the Oscar. They alleged that she is not picking up their phone calls and they have not been paid so far.

"During the filming of the documentary, director Kartiki Gonsalves was very good with us. One day during the shooting she came to us and said that she wanted to shoot a wedding scene. As she did not have money, she asked us to spend it ourselves. We took out the money that Bellie had saved for her granddaughter's education and gave it to her. We have spent around Rs 1 lakhs for the wedding sequence. When we called up she said she will return the amount. But, it has not been given till date. When we call up her she disconnected the call stating she is busy and will call up later," they lamented.

"She won the Oscar because of us. She didn't let us hold the Oscar at the felicitation function. After this documentary, we have lost our composure,'' accused Bellie and Bomman in a recent interview. Meanwhile, the film production company refuted allegations of the couple. They said that there is no truth in their words. They said that they launched the project to appreciate the work done by the forest department and wildlife conservation.

A short film 'The Elephant Whisperers' was made based on the real-life of Bellie and Bomman, a couple, who work as elephant caregivers in the Mudumalai Reserve Forest in Tamil Nadu. The story revolves around Raghu and Ammu, two orphaned baby elephants, and the couple, who took care of them. Director Kartiki Gonzalves directed the short film under the guidance of producer Guneet Monga. The 42-minute long film won the Oscar 2023 for Best Short Film.