The Filmmaker
Stories from the edge of human and wild — told through the lens.
The camera, for me, is a conservation tool before it is an art form. I began making films because I ran out of words to describe what was happening to the forests I lived in — the shrinking habitat, the leopards walking village streets at midnight, families losing cattle and, sometimes, loved ones.
My documentary Village Leopards grew directly out of that ground. It is a film about the escalating conflict between humans and wildlife in rural India — and about the fragile, daily negotiation between two species sharing one shrinking landscape.
Village Leopards
Village Leopards is a gripping wildlife documentary exploring the escalating conflict between humans and wildlife, focusing on leopards and sloth bears in rural India. Through real-life stories, stunning visuals and emotional depth, it highlights habitat loss, the struggles of villagers, and the plight of wildlife forced into human-dominated areas.
The film calls for sustainable solutions and coexistence, urging collaboration between communities and local organizations. It is a must-watch for anyone who cares about the delicate balance between humans and nature — because the animals in it are not symbols; they are neighbours.
Why I Film
Film reaches people that research papers never will. A survey report documents the death of a leopard; a film makes you feel the night it happened. I film the forests of Devarayanadurga the way a family photographs a home — because that is what they are.
My approach is observational and unhurried. I wait — sometimes days — for the light, for the animal, for the moment. The boulders I climb, the hills I cycle, are the same places I carry my camera. Filmmaking, climbing and conservation are not separate lives; they are one disciplined life.
The Road Ahead
The stories are far from finished. I continue to document human-wildlife coexistence across Karnataka, always returning to the ground my great-grandfather walked — the ground this Trust now protects, researches and serves.
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The animals in my films are not symbols. They are neighbours.
Raghunandan S.