Metrolife takes a look at some popular Kannada movies and documentaries based on environment and wildlife.
Gandhada Gudi (1973)
Dr Rajkumar is seen portraying the character of an honest forest range officer, protecting the forest from poachers and unearthing their illegal sandalwood trade. Directed by Vijay and produced by MP Shankar, it was the first Indian movie made around the concept of protection of forest and wildlife conservation.
The movie was shot in Nagarhole and Bandipur forest. Shivarajkumar later acted in ‘Gandhada Gudi’ part 2 which was released in 1995.
Wild Karnataka (2019)
Natural historian Sir David Attenborough in this documentary about Karnataka’s rich biodiversity talks about why we must respect nature.
The project was spearheaded by two of India’s best wildlife photographers, filmmakers, and naturalists -- Amoghavarsha JS and Kalyan Varma -- along with many others in their team. It is narrated by Rishab Shetty in Kannada, Prakash Raj in Tamil and Telugu, and Rajkumar Rao in Hindi.
Bettada Jeeva (2011)
The story set in the early 1940s, depicts the livelihoods of people living in remote areas of the Western Ghats and their relationship with nature. It is based on a novel written by Jananpith awardee K Shivaram Karanth.Directed by P Sheshadri, the movie won the National Award for the ‘Best Film on Environment Preservation’. It stars HG Dattatreya , Suchendra Prasad, and Rameshwari Varma in prominent roles.
Maasthi Gudi (2017)
The story revolves around the protagonist’s role of an honest forest ranger, played by Duniya Vijay.
He fiercely protects the wildlife from the poachers. With an underlying message about wildlife and forest conservation, it has Amulya, Kriti Kharbanda, Rangayana Raghu, and B Jayashree in important roles. The movie is directed by Nagshekar and Sadhu Kokila has composed music for it.
Dweepa (2002)
Directed by Girish Kasaravalli, the story is based on the novel of the same name by Na D’Souza. This socio-political drama deals with the displacement of natives, on an island, by the government to build dams. The movie has Soundarya and Avinash in lead roles. It won the National Award for the ‘Best Feature Film’ and several Karnataka State Film Awards.
Saalumarada Thimmakka (2020)
The team of a popular meme page on Instagram, Namma Karnataka Memes, released a documentary about Saalumarada Thimmakka on their YouTube channel on June 5. The environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee is known for planting 385 banyan trees along the highway between Hulikal and Kudur and 8,000 other trees nearby.