Mahout Couple Seeks Rs 2 Cr from Oscar-Winning “The Elephant Whisperers” Filmmaker

Chennai: Bomman and Bellie, the real-life mahout couple in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has sent a legal notice to the filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves, seeking a ‘goodwill gesture’ of Rs 2 crore.

In the legal notice, the mahout couple claims that they were promised a proper house and an all-terrain multi-purpose vehicle, and sufficient financial support as compensation, based on the income generated from the project.

The legal notice states that “the real heroes” got no financial benefits except getting popularity.

Bomman and Bellie allege that Gonsalves while making the film, promised them monetary help as well as help with the education of Bellie’s granddaughter. But she now refuses to give even a fraction of the enormous profits made by the film, they say.