Meet Bomman And Bellie, The Tribal Duo Who Inspired Oscar-nominated 'The Elephant Whisperers'
As The Elephant Whisperers is ready to run for an Oscar, here's all you need to know about Bomman And Bellie who inspired its story.
The day is finally here! Tonight is the much-awaited Oscars 2023. The 95th Academy Awards is all set to be held at Hollywood¡¯s Dolby Theatre and will stream for Indian audiences in the early hours of 13th March. As India holds three nominations this year, here we look at one of them and what inspired its story.
Also Read: Historic! India Lands 3 Oscar Nominations For RRR, All That Breathes & The Elephant Whisperers
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Netflix documentary The Elephant Whisperers is running in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the Oscars.
Directed by debutant Kartiki Gonsalves, this 40-minute documentary revolves around the heartwarming relationship between a couple and an elephant. Based on the life of a tribal couple named Bomman and Bellie, the story beautifully captures how they devote their lives to caring for orphaned baby elephants, Raghu and Ammu. But who are they? Read ahead to know!
Bomman and Bellie have their roots in the forest community Kattunayakar Tribe, which resides in Tamil Nadu¡¯s Mudumalai National Park. Where they originally hunted wild animals from the forest reserve, they later decided to take care of the elephants. Bomman who hails from a family of mahouts, elephant caregivers works at Asia¡¯s oldest elephant camp, Theppakadu Elephant Camp.
Also Read: Guneet Monga Is Beaming With Pride After Her Film ¡®The Elephant Whisperers¡¯ Bags Oscar Nomination
Bellie whose first husband was killed by a tiger initially feared wild animals but soon after she started taking care of baby elephants, she overcame her apprehensions. There¡¯s where she met Bomman and tied the knot with him. It was 2017 when they were entrusted to take care of a one-and-a-half-year-old male baby elephant that was bitten by wild dogs.
The duo named the elephant Raghu and raised him like their own child. Soon after, the trio Bomman, Bellie, and Raghu welcomed a female baby elephant named Ammu. It was a happy family of four until Raghu was given to another mahout after he grew up. The separation was indeed heartbreaking for the couple on and off the screen and cut to today Bomman and Bellie live at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp with their five-year-old baby Ammu.
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Produced by Guneet Monga under her banner Sikhya Entertainment, The Elephant Whisperers was initially released on 8th December 2022.
At the Oscars, the documentary will be competing against Haulout from Russia, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect, and Stranger at the Gate from America. Apart from this, India also has two other Oscar nominations including All That Breathes in the Best Documentary Feature category and RRR's Naatu Naatu competing for Best Original Song.
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Aditya Sagar is an Entertainment Journalist at Indiatimes who holds a true-blue Bollywood heart and has his ears tuned to the whispers of Tinseltown. From Dharma to Drama, he is your trusted guide to the glitz, glamour and gossip that make headlines. He can be reached out @theadityasagar across all social media platforms.
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