The state of wildlife film making in India

[Guest guest]

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200611060310.htm

Regional <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004hdline.htm>

*Few takers for wildlife film-making*

 

Chennai, Nov 6. (PTI): After over two decades of India's foray into the art

of wildlife film-making, the country is facing a dearth of wildlife

film-makers.

 

This exciting art form lacks takers in the country and only five to six

wildlife film-makers have actually succeeded in making an impact in the

global arena with their movies.

 

" The International wildlife movie-making community, recognises only a few

eminent Indian film-makers like Ashish Chandola, Nutan Manmohan, Shekar

Dattatri, Romulus Whitaker, Naresh Bedi, Rajesh Bedi, besides myself, " said

Chennai-based eminent wildlife cinematographer Alphonse Roy.

 

A handful of new entrants like Ajay and Vijay Bedi (sons of the already

establised Bedis), Praveen Singh, Sandesh Kadoor and Humphrey Touro have

either established themselves by working in a few movies or are struggling

to make it big.

 

" Filming wildlife in India is becoming a herculean task, especially because

of the exorbitant entry fees levied in sanctuaries and national parks. The

cost for filming in these parks is anywhere between Rs.5,000 and Rs.15,000

per day. And with wildlife films sometimes taking even a couple of years to

make, the economics become too cumbersome to handle, " he said.

 

" If pricing keeps increasing, a few years down the line, I don't find myself

surviving as a film-maker, " the versatile cinematographer of twenty years,

said.

 

Another major deterrent is finding sponsors for the movies on wildlife.

 

The main sponsor was the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which

allocates " a meager " Rs.six crore every year for funding, while NGOs and

corporates were the others and were rare to come by, another Chennaiite and

internationally renowned film-maker Shekar Dattatri said.

 

Siddharth Behura, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests,

said that the Ministry was able to fund only 30 per cent of the movie

proposals they get every year.

 

But finance is not only a handicap for those interested in making films on

wildlife. " There are no professional training grounds for teaching the

basics of wildlife film-making to enthusiastic youngsters, " Dattatri said.

 

" India lacks training institute for wild-life film making unlike New

Zealand, Australia or Britain. And established film-makers seldom find the

time to train youngsters in the nuances of the art, " Dattatri points out.

 

Even if one does learn to fight all the odds and make a movie on wildlife,

marketing it another hiccup.

 

" Indian wildlife movies don't sell in India. National television channels

don't have a specific slot for wildlife programs and even Doordarshan, which

does screen a few movies, allots either late night or afternoon slots for

them, when very few people watch, " Dattatri said.

 

" There are very few platforms in India, which brings together the

film-makers and the buyers, " journalist turned film-maker, Nutan Manmohan,

said.

 

Convincing international TV channels like NatGeo, Discovery and Animal

Planet to buy our movies was extremely difficult, given the huge number of

such movies, which pile up in these channels, she says.

 

All this apart, it requires tremendous passion, patience perseverance and

the will power to fight against all odds, to make wildlife movies.

 

Though wildlife films are not for a wide audience, unless more talented

youngsters evince interest in taking up this art form, India's chances of

giving international wildlife film-makers a run for their money appear

bleak.