Filmmaker Nallamuthu advocates for an Indian wildlife channel

Jaipur, July 15 (IANS) Renowned wildlife filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu, who recently won the 18th V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, on Monday advocated for an Indian OTT or TV channel on wildlife.

“Why has there been no Indian wildlife channel? Why do we still need to surf BBC and Net Geo if we want to watch and understand the wildlife world,” the filmmaker told IANS.

He said that India is blessed with diverse fauna but the wildlife still stands synonymous with tigers while all other species are often being neglected due to the lack of awareness.

“Our government must think to bring an indigenous channel on wildlife which will be solely Indian. It is expensive for a person to shoot a tiger for his documentary which is why many people cannot afford to make documentaries. That is why the government must intervene,” the filmmaker told IANS while attending the Royal Ranthambore International Tiger Festival event in Rajasthan.

He said his next project is a full-length feature film which will feature eminent actors.

“This film will bring stories from the real-life characters from the tiger universe,” the filmmaker said, adding that the film will be released in theatres next year.

Subbiah Nallamuthu is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He has garnered fame for his tiger-centric documentaries, including “Tiger Dynasty,” “Tiger Queen,” and “The World’s Most Famous Tiger.”

His documentary “Living on the Edge” is India’s longest-running award-winning environment series.

Nallamuthu was also conferred with the prestigious 18th V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of non-feature and wildlife documentary filmmaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 18th Mumbai International Film Festival in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

He has won five National Film Awards and numerous international awards.

He has also served as a jury member at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and was the jury chairman of the Indian Panorama Film Festival (2021).

Nallamuthu has also worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a high-speed cameraman.