Bahar Dutt, Vijay Bedi
Environment journalist Bahar Dutt travels to eastern India to a fish landing centre to document the crisis facing shark species found in Indian waters . As the fishermen bring in their haul for the day, the film crew has an astonishing discovery. Two bull sharks have been brought in and they were both pregnant. In another corner , they discover Manta rays , known for their life in perpetual motion now laying still on this sandy graveyard.
Dutt is taken around by photographer Srikanth Mannepuri whose visuals from this region have been a wake up call to the world on the crisis facing our oceans. Together they discover a number of shark species that are brought in including those that are not allowed to be hunted.
The story shifts focus to the coastal state of Goa known for its music and sandy beaches. Dutt meets scientist Trisha Gupta who is strumming her research to the sounds of the Guitar fish – part of the shark family but with poor data on its numbers .
Through poignany imagery and heart wrenching images, the film asks experts how do we protect slow growth species like sharks and Manta rays while protecting the livelihoods of fishermen and women.
Director Biography – Bahar Dutt, Vijay Bedi
BAHAR DUTT
Bahar Dutt is trained as a conservation biologist- and has spent more two decades reporting on some of the biggest environment stories of our times. Her stories have led to the stoppage of an illegal mine operating inside a forest and have won her over 20 national and international awards . Ms Dutt with her team was awarded the the Kaavli Science Journalism Award in 2023 presented by the AAAS ( American Society for the Advancement of Science) for her film Saving Bhimanama- The Asian Giant Soft-shell turtle.
She is the author of the book ‘Green Wars- Dispatches from a Vanishing World , published by Harper Collins in 2014 and Rewilding in India with Oxford University Press in 2019. She has written a book for children titled ‘Planet Protectors’ published in 2024. Bahar has worked on a community project for snake charmers and run a shelter for injured monkeys! She hopes her storytelling can impact our natural world in a positive way.
VIJAY BEDI
Emmy nominated wildlife filmmaker, photographer and conservationists. Vijay Bedi has been filming, researching and exploring in India for many years. He has made some remarkable films, which have also contributed to the scientific study of understanding animal behavior and its ecology. For instance his film on The Secret Life of Frogs amphibians led to a scientific paper in a peer reviewed journal in February 2021 on the first visual record of the vocalisation of the Himalayan salamander in north east India.
Vijay has used his skills for making wildlife films as a powerful tool for inspiring people, spreading awareness and working with policymakers, researchers and local community for a common goal for conservation. His films have focussed on species such as the Red Panda, the Purple Frog, the Greater Adjutant stork and each has been strikingly different with their way of storytelling.
Over two decades, Vijay Bedi has worked with various national and international channels and their works have reaped many renowned awards. His films have; won four National Film Awards, awarded by the President of India, considered the highest accolade for films in India. At the international level he became the youngest Asians to have won the prestigious Green Oscar; Wildscreen Panda Awards, at Bristol, UK. Vijay is also the only Indian to have won a nomination at the highest awards in Television – the Emmy® Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft – Editing”. His film “The Stork Saviours” was also one of the finalists for “Best Global Voices Film” at Jackson Wild Media Awards 2020. For Vijay, while awards are important, the publication of a scientific paper in his name was the most cherished accolade he has ever received.
