‘The Elephant Whisperers’ Bomman, Bellie send notice to Kartiki Gonsalves; demand ₹2 crore

Tribal couple Bomman and Bellie, who starred in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, issued a legal notice to director Kartiki Gonsalves, seeking a ‘goodwill gesture’ of ₹2 crore.

According to PTI, the legal notice states that the mahout couple was promised a home, a vehicle, and a financial lump sum as compensation for their time, with the amount to be determined based on the income generated from the project.

They were also introduced as the ‘real heroes’ of the project to celebrities, sportspersons, and political leaders, which helped them gain recognition for their work, but the couple did not receive any financial compensation for their work as the filmmaker received all the monetary benefits from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the Prime Minister of India.

Social activist-lawyer Pravin Raj, who claims to know the couple for over a decade, told PTI, ‘Both Bomman and Bellie are disappointed with (Kartiki) Gonsalves, who had promised them monetary help as well as help with the education of Bellie’s granddaughter, while making the film. But she now refuses to give even a fraction of the enormous profits made by the film.’

As per the report, advocate Mohammed Mansoor, who is handling the case, received a reply notice from Sikhya Entertainment Pvt Ltd, on behalf of Kartiki, in which she has flatly refused any more help stating that she has already given money to the couple.

Sikhya Entertainment Pvt Ltd issued a statement to PTI, ‘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 communities. Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M K 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.’

It added, ‘The documentary has been celebrated by heads of state across India, and the Academy Award is a moment of national pride that has brought widespread recognition for the work of mahouts like Bomman and Bellie. All claims made are untrue. We have deep respect for all of the contributors of this story, and remain driven by the desire to create positive change.’