Chennai: 'Elephant Whisperers' has been chosen as the best documentary short film at the Academy Awards. Bellie, the woman of the moment, is in the forest without feeling the pride of worldwide recognition. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin tweeted that there could not be a better morning than two women winning the Oscars for an entirely Indian production. Kudos to director Kartiki Gonsalves and elephant keeper Bellie for bringing laurels to the country, he tweeted.
The documentary 'Elephant Whisperers' is about two baby elephants and their love for their keepers. Two baby elephants took refuge with the forest department after losing their mother and herd. The forest department says that small elephants cannot be tamed as easily as taming big elephants, but baby elephants have the characteristic of yearning for affection like human beings. Hence, a woman was chosen for raising two baby elephants, which were separated from their mother.
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Congrats to Kartiki Gonsalves & @guneetm on winning the #Oscar.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 13, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
No better news to wake up to than two women bringing the first ever Oscar for an Indian Production.
The patient making & the moving story of #TheElephantWhisperers deserve all the praises & accolades it's getting. https://t.co/73WyGgqy3T
">Congrats to Kartiki Gonsalves & @guneetm on winning the #Oscar.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 13, 2023
No better news to wake up to than two women bringing the first ever Oscar for an Indian Production.
The patient making & the moving story of #TheElephantWhisperers deserve all the praises & accolades it's getting. https://t.co/73WyGgqy3TCongrats to Kartiki Gonsalves & @guneetm on winning the #Oscar.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 13, 2023
No better news to wake up to than two women bringing the first ever Oscar for an Indian Production.
The patient making & the moving story of #TheElephantWhisperers deserve all the praises & accolades it's getting. https://t.co/73WyGgqy3T
Belli, a woman who lost her husband in a tiger attack, became the adoptive mother of elephants and reared Raghu, who was brought from the Sathyamangalam forest. And Raghu ran around her like a small child. Similarly, Bommie, another baby elephant, took refuge with Belli.
Bomman, who lost his wife, joined the task of rearing elephants, and the baby elephants themselves chose their parents. 'Elephant Whisperers' is a documentary film about two people, who live for elephants and are connected by elephants. Belli, a resident of Mudumalai camp, spoke to ETV Bharat about the documentary's Oscar win. Belli remembers that when she first saw the baby elephant, Raghu, its tail was cut and it was in a pitiful condition, and with the support of her husband Bomman, she cured it like a child.
Belonging to a tribal Mhooth family, Bellie says she has raised the motherless baby elephants as her own and says it's in her blood as her ancestors did the same job. Belli says frankly that she doesn't know anything about the Oscars. They said that Kartiki had approached them to make a documentary after getting approval from the government. She says that Kartiki only filmed how they interact with the elephants and how they bathe them. However, Belli says that she is proud not only of herself but also of the Mudumalai camp.
When the whole country was basking in the glory of an Indian documentary winning the Oscar, Bellie's husband had gone to Salem to rescue an injured elephant. No matter how the elephants are reared, once they reach a certain age, the elephants are separated from Bellie and Bomman couple and taken away. Even though she can't bear the separation, Bellie eagerly waits at the door for the next big child.
