Story: The Elephant Whisperers is a fascinating narrative of Bomman and Bellie, a couple who have dedicated their lives to caring for elephants in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.

Review: There is hardly a single moment in 'The Elephant Whisperers' when you will want to reach for the remote. Every frame of this short documentary exudes serenity, sympathy, and melancholy, and it impacts you deeply - at a soul level. While you are thrilled for Raghu and Ammu, the two orphaned elephants who have been given new lives thanks to Bomman and Bellie, you are saddened when another caregiver is assigned to Raghu.

This short documentary brings us to Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Theppakadu Elephant Camp, a 140-year-old elephant camp located within the Tiger Reserve, is responsible for caring for orphaned elephants. The documentary follows Bomman and Bellie, a couple who live in the Tiger Reserve and care for two orphaned elephants named Raghu and Ammu. The couple also holds the distinction of successfully raising two orphaned elephants in South India.

With its slow camera movements (excellent cinematography) and breathtaking shots, the documentary successfully establishes that it’s a jungle narrative that viewers are about to witness. It all starts with Bomman and Bellie raising Raghu as if he was their own child, doing everything they could to nurture him like any other regular elephant despite their poverty. The narrative then travels back in time to discuss how Raghu became an orphan after becoming separated from the elephant herd. Later we see the couple getting the responsibility of Ammu, another orphaned elephant. The documentary ends on a tragic note when Raghu’s responsibility is handed over to another caregiver.

While the story may appear straightforward, it’s the visuals that hold the key to this compelling documentary. The shots featuring Bomman washing the two elephants in the river or Bellie recounting the death of her daughter and how the two elephants helped her cope with the tragedy are guaranteed to move you. Bomman at one point also tells that they respect the forest and take only those things from the forest that are absolutely essential to them and this is in itself a life lesson. The regard and appreciation of the forest is so much that they move around in the forest barefoot.

'The Elephant Whisperers' is an oasis in a sea of edgy stuff that we are being bombarded with these days. It expresses love and devotion in its purest form, with no hidden agenda. This documentary merely serves to remind you that the world still has nice people and that there is still goodness in the world. The filmmaker, Kartiki Gonsalves has succeeded beyond expectations in depicting the relationship and the bond between man and animal on camera. One can only hope that the documentary inspires filmmakers to bring to light hundreds of other people who have been working tirelessly to achieve good while remaining invisible to society. This documentary is a must-see and should not be missed.