Emmy-nominated wildlife filmmaker Kalyan Varma unpacks how ancient Tamil poetry guided the making of his documentary Wild Tamil Nadu, an ode to biodiversity, featuring Arvind Swamy’s narration and Ricky Kej’s music
A herd of elephants ambles through tea gardens as unperturbed pickers carry on with their work. The elusive Madras hedgehog emerges in the dark of night, captured on film for the first time. A flamboyance of flamingos gracefully moves through the placid waters of the Pulicat Lake. These are among the breathtaking moments in the documentary, Wild Tamil Nadu, directed by Emmy-nominated wildlife filmmaker Kalyan Varma, and produced by Arathi Krishna, Managing Director, Sundram Fasteners Ltd. The film is an ode to the rich biodiversity of the state and features rare footage captured for the first time.
Wild Tamil Nadu explores the state through the lens of ancient Sangam Literature (the earliest writings in the Tamil language), which divided the region into five ecological zones: mountains (Kurinji), forests (Mullai), croplands (Marutham), arid zones (Palai), and coasts (Neithal). Varma says he took on the challenge of making a film about Tamil Nadu’s wildlife, a subject often overlooked in India’s broader wildlife narrative. The film came to fruition when Krishna approached Varma to showcase the wildlife of Tamil Nadu for a global audience.
“When people talk about India’s wildlife, Tamil Nadu rarely figures among the top 10 states; only the Western Ghats of the state, like the Nilgiris, Mudumalai etc, are well documented. I wanted to tell stories from other districts too, like Madurai, Kanyakumari, and Thoothukudi, as little research has been done in these places and where there is no wildlife tourism,” says Varma.
Urgency of conserving Pulicat lake
The film’s narration is by actor Arvind Swamy, and its background score has been composed by Grammy-award winner Ricky Kej. And while both celebrities bring their signature styles to the narration, the real stars are the animals, birds and insects. What adds to the beauty of the plot is that each story is inspired by the myriad emotions explored in Sangam literature. “I read a summary book about the literature,” says Varma. “And it details every habitat season, flowers, and fruits. It associates habitats and seasonality with human emotions, love and family values. This is why we took inspiration from Sangam literature to tell the stories,” he adds.
The film is an ode to the rich biodiversity of the state and features rare footage captured for the first time.
Shot over five years, including a few challenging ones due to the pandemic, the film ties together a compelling narrative with stunning images. The deep observation of animal behaviour presented in an educative and entertaining manner is one of the highlights of the film. Varma says: “What we thought would be easy, turned out to be difficult, and vice versa. For example, we wanted a longer feature on the Nilgiri Tahr as it is the state’s official animal. It only stays in the high grassland habitat. After two years, though, we couldn’t capture any behaviour. Lion-tailed macaques have been overdone. We didn’t want to present the usual monkey story, and so we featured an engaging and humorous story around jackfruit.”
Also read: Why do tigers venture hundreds of miles into the unknown?
The first two years were spent filming more accessible stories, and in the next two years, the team explored stories from little-known landscapes. Varma came across the works of two young filmmakers, Jude D and Siva Kumar, from Kanyakumari. “They posted videos on Instagram of Madras hedgehogs and antlions. They had stories from the Southern Tamil Nadu landscape, which comprises dry habitats like deserts and grasslands. A couple of years ago, I visited those areas but didn’t know what to look for or when. Jude and Siva had those stories.”
Spotlight on little-known animals
One of the most striking segments features Pulicat lake, India’s second largest brackish-water lagoon, which has been at the centre of environmental debates due to the proposed expansion of the Kattupalli port by Adani The film’s 10-minute sequence captures the lake’s fragile beauty and underscores the urgency of conserving it.
At a time of global anxiety over the climate crisis, Wild Tamil Nadu delivers a message of hope, rather than despair, through celebrating the state’s wildlife. “For the lay person, awareness comes in two steps,” Varma explains. “First they need to know and take pride in the wilderness around them. Once they do, they will care and act to protect it.”
While top predators, like tigers and leopards, are featured, the film also shines the spotlight on uncommon species of animals and birds like rock agamas and baya weavers.
Another key theme is man-animal co-existence, like in the scene where elephants and humans share the same space, undisturbed by each other. “If people were not tolerant the elephants wouldn’t be at ease,” Varma clearly states.
Also read: How Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society built the human-leopard coexistence model
And while top predators, like tigers and leopards, are featured, the film also shines the spotlight on uncommon species of animals and birds like rock agamas and baya weavers. “They are commonly seen in our cities. I hope after watching the film, people will pause and watch them.”
Despite its international production quality, Wild Tamil Nadu consciously avoids the Western gaze. “Peacocks are often shown in Western films making an appearance during the monsoons, when in reality, their mating displays happen in the summers,” he notes.
To be screened across South India
Adding a layer of authenticity is Arvind Swamy’s voiceover. “My primary audience is Tamilians, and so we decided to rope him in. We needed someone who could pronounce Tamil fluently, and whose voice was both familiar and authoritative, someone who speaks from experience from witnessing wildlife. Arvind Swamy fulfilled all these criteria,” says Varma.
The film has been masterfully shot, with splendid camera angles. “Technology has really advanced,” says Varma. “Earlier, if you took drones too close to an animal, it would get scared and run away. Now, since drones have a zoom feature, animals cannot hear the sound of the drones. We also shot in 8K resolution, which let us zoom in post-production while maintaining quality.”
Wild Tamil Nadu will be screened across South India. “We will have one screening in Bengaluru on November 15 at Jayamahal Palace (6 pm) and later in Coimbatore and Madurai. Will also have a Tamil version with Arvind Swamy doing the voice over. “There will also be a limited run in the PVR. And for the English version, we will collaborate with an OTT.”
The team will be tying up with the Tamil Nadu government for the Tamil version. “We are keen on making the film a part of every public school curriculum, and would like to partner with people to create quizzes and activities around the film.”
Varma hopes Wild Tamil Nadu will inspire future generations to protect the state’s biodiversity. “We want the Madras hedgehog to become a symbol of Tamil Nadu’s vast arid landscape,” he concludes.
