Wild Karnataka

Wild Karnataka is a 2019 Indian ultra-HD natural history documentary on the Indian state of Karnataka's rich biodiversity, most of which is still unknown to the general public. The film was produced by award-winning film-makers Amoghavarsha J S and Kalyan Varma in collaboration with Icon Films and Mudskipper (media company).[1][2][3] The film was narrated by Sir David Attenborough with theme music composed by Grammy-winning composer and music-producer, Ricky Kej.[4][5]

Wild Karnataka
Directed byAmoghavarsha J S, Kalyan Varma, Sharath Champati, Vijay Mohan Raj IFS (Indian Forest Service - Karnataka)
Produced byNick Gates
Narrated bySir David Attenborough
Music byRicky Kej
Edited byAdam Kirby
Release date
  • 3 March 2019 (2019-03-03) (Bangalore, India)
  • 17 January 2020 (2020-01-17)
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetINR 50,000,000 (estimated)

The film premiered on 3 March 2019 to an audience of 3000 at an open-air theatre at Palace Grounds in Bangalore, India.[6][7] It was also shown at a special screening at the United Nations headquarters on the same day in 2020.[8]

Background

Karnataka is India's 6th largest state of which has a recorded forest area of 38720 km2 which constitutes 20.19% of the total geographical area of the state.[9] Its ecosystem supports different kinds of forests, ranging from the wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, to deciduous forests of the Mysore district to thorn scrub forests and rocky outcrops of Ramnagar and Daroji, extending to the riverine and marine ecosystems, all found in this one state of Karnataka. These forests support 25% of the elephant population and 20% of the tiger population of India, making it home to the largest population of tigers and Asiatic elephants on the planet. This 52 minute film took 1500 days of production with 15000 hours on the field resulting in 2400 minutes of footage from 20 cameras and 50 sequences all shot with an intention to spread awareness, love and respect for the state's majestic and beautiful natural history and heritage.[10][7] Yet all of this was shot at locations that were only a 7-hour drive from the capital district of the state, Bengaluru.

Subject

Wild Karnataka displays the varied habitats and species across Karnataka. The film is story driven. Subjects include tigers and elephants, along with lesser-known species like the Lion-tailed Macaque, Hornbills, amphibians and reptiles. Wild Karnataka was the first film in India to be narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The music for the film was composed by Grammy award-winning music composer and producer Ricky Kej.[11]

Production

The documentary took about 4 years to produce from more than 400 hours of footage.

The film was shot using cutting edge technology and cameras with 4k broadcast quality. No wildlife in India has ever been seen from an aerial perspective, making the Wild Karnataka team the first to do so. Quiet air-borne cameras were used for this so as to create minimum disturbance for the wildlife around it. Using these equipments we were able to capture great footage and insight into animal behaviour as these equipments did not intrude into the natural living of the wild.[12] This is the first wildlife film in which has an equal representation of women. As opposed to the traditional instances where women work in the production side of a film and as much on the field bringing in a different perspective.[13]

Filmmakers and partners

The team behind the film include Prashanth S Nayaka, Praveen, Sugandhi Gadadhar, Raghunath Belur, Adarsh Raju, Pradeep Hegde, Pooja Rathod[13] and Ashwini Kumar Bhat and was headed by award-winning wildlife photographers and film-makers Amoghavarsha J S and Kalyan Varma with the unwavering support of Chief Conservator of Forests at Karnataka's Forest Department, Mr. Vijay Mohan Raj and acclaimed naturalist Sarath Champati.[14]

Even though the theme of the documentary is forest and wilderness, the Forest Department has not made any funding and much of the film's financing has come from eco-tourism resorts and mining companies.[15] The partners include Sandur Iron ore and Manganese Limited, Discovery Village and Jungle Lodges & Resorts.[15]

Soundtrack
Wild Karnataka
Soundtrack album by
Ricky Kej
Released9 January 2020
Recorded2019
StudioRicky Kej Music
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length47:06
ProducerRicky Kej
Ricky Kej chronology
Winds of Samsara Wild Karnataka Shanti Samsara

Original soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Wild Karnataka"1:40
2."Largest Cat"1:15
3."Majestic"2:37
4."Wolves"1:21
5."Monsoon Waltz"2:44
6."Eyes Everywhere"2:56
7."Bubbler Crab Raaga"2:24
8."Elephant Bath"3:15
9."Dhol"1:06
10."Magic"1:08
11."Wild Karnataka Reprise"1:21
12."River of Life"1:54
13."Mothers Love"1:45
14."Prince Peacock"1:07
15."The Hornbill"2:15
16."Superhero"1:24
17."A Sambars Plight"1:20
18."Hungry Hatch"1:12
19."Last Mistake"2:24
20."Indignant Defence"2:16
21."Opening Theme"1:41
22."The Slithering King"2:44
23."Thrist"1:32
24."Bear Ride"1:55
25."Prologue"1:41
Total length:47:06

Recognition
  • Released in PVR screens within India on 17 January 2020, Wild Karnataka was the first Indian wildlife film to be released in theatres. It created history by completing 50 days in the theatres.[16]
  • It was shown at a special screening at the United Nations headquarters on World Wildlife Day (March 3).[17]
  • It is India's first blue-chip natural history movie. It is a 4K ultra-HD film.

References
  1. "Wild Karnataka Official Teaser 4K UltraHD". Youtube. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  2. "Indian wildlife photographers to follow on social media". Deccan Herald. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  3. Shrinag (19 February 2019). "4 Years And 400 Hours Of Footage in the Making, The Teaser Of Wild Karnataka Looks Wow, We Repeat WOW!". MetroSaga. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. Newsd (1 March 2019). "Sir David Attenborough narrated documentary 'Wild Karnataka' to premiere this March". News and Analysis from India. A Refreshing approach to news. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  5. "Wild Karnataka - IMDB". Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  6. "Documentary 'Wild Karnataka' narrated by Sir David Attenborough to premiere in March". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  7. Govind, Deepti (31 March 2019). "David Attenborough and the wild side of Karnataka". livemint.com. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  9. "Karnataka". Wikipedia. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  10. "When Bengaluru was awestruck at the Woodstock for wildlife - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  11. "The documentary, Wild Karnataka, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, showcases the biodiversity of the state". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  12. gomes, suruchi kapur (5 March 2019). "Wild wows in Karnataka". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  13. Datta, Sravasti (4 March 2019). "A majestic celebration: Wild Karnataka, India's first blue-chip natural history". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  14. "Story Behind Wild Karnataka, India's First Blue Chip Natural History Film!". The Better India. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  15. "With corporate cash, B'luru filmmakers aim high". Deccan Herald. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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