The Nilgiris, Unfiltered: Sandesh Kadur Brings The Mountains To Life In New Documentary

Cinematographer Robin Darius Conz’s stunning shot of a tiger overlooking the town in Nilgiris stays with you, hours after you finish watching Sandesh Kadur’s upcoming documentary Nilgiris - The Shared Wilderness. At once, you’re mesmerised by the big cat, but a moment later, you notice how close it is to human settlement, and how far it is from its habitat. Conz’s photo, which won him the Wildlife Photographer of the Year honour from the Natural History Museum in the UK,  captures the essence of the documentary, out in theatres on July 18.

Kadur’s film delves deep into the behaviours of species in the region, such as the tahr, leopards, hornbills and endemic species like the Salea lizard, while taking us through the consequences of human encroachment. The Nilgiris is such a unique landscape, says Kadur in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.

“It is India’s first biosphere reserve, established in 1986, and yet there has not been much done about the Nilgiris. So, we thought this would be a great way to showcase the mountains and the unique biodiversity. It is a place that needs some kind of education.”

The photograph that won Conz the Wildlife Photographer Of The Year at the Natural History Museum, LondonRobin Darius Conz

The idea was also to show how humans co-exist with wildlife in the region. In an amusing clip in the film, a sloth bear, a frequent visitor in the Ooty tea estates, breaks into a house. The documentary uses found security camera footage to depict the nocturnal species, while also giving a glimpse of increasing human-wildlife conflict incidents and habitat fragmentation. “If you didn’t know, the house was our producer Rohini Nilekani’s!” Kadur announced to an enthused audience at a recent premiere screening of the film in Bengaluru. “It is extremely important for people to spread the word on conservation and get the message out as to why these places are worth protecting,” the filmmaker tells THR India.

The film is produced by Nilekani of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, whom Kadur credits to be an integral part of making the film a reality. “She came up with the idea to make the film,” he says. Kadur, an Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning wildlife filmmaker, has been part of several illustrious documentaries such as BBC Planet Earth II (2016) and National Geographic Earth Live (2017). But this is the first time his doc will be screened in the theatres.

“We had to think about keeping the shots longer and not moving the camera too much, so there are a lot of subtle things that we did to film, particularly for the big screen.” He is hopeful that the big-screen experience entices children and adults alike to learn about the Nilgiris. “80 per cent of the land has been converted to human use," he says. But despite that, you have so much life, he is quick to remind.