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On December 10, 2025, Mallappa, a farmer, was attacked by a tiger successful Kundakere colony successful Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar territory portion tending to his cattle successful the fields. Chaos erupted successful Bandipur connected December 27, erstwhile wood watcher Sanna Haida was killed by a tiger, becoming the 4th idiosyncratic aft 3 farmers, to succumb to carnal attacks successful the Bandipur tiger reserve (BRT) area.
Rise successful man-animal conflict
Karnataka’s tiger occupation contiguous stems little from the species’ endurance and much from challenges created by its conservation success. With a emergence successful tiger populations crossed reserves specified arsenic Nagarahole, Bandipur, Bhadra, Kali and BRT, the State is witnessing intensified man-animal conflict.
These conflicts relationship for astir 60% of each quality deaths linked to wildlife encounters successful Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan implicit the past 4 years. According to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, arsenic galore arsenic 203 radical person died successful man-animal conflicts successful Karnataka betwixt 2022 and 2025. These statistic item the interaction connected populations inhabiting the wood fringes of confederate Karnataka, wherever quality settlements progressively overlap with wildlife habitats.
Recent incidents bring to caput Huli Banthu Huli, a 91-minute diagnostic film, produced by Malnad Movie Makers successful 1975 and released successful 1977. Directed by C Chandrashekar, the movie was screened astatine the International Film Festival of India 1978 successful the Indian Panorama conception and received the Critics Award.
Exploring the historical struggle betwixt antheral and tiger, Huli Banthu Huli continues to resonate today. It marked Chandrashekar’s directorial debut and earned him the prefix of ‘Huli’ (tiger). Filmed successful the backwaters of Khanapur, HD Kote and Kabini, Huli Banthu Huli tells of a man-eating tiger terrorising tribal communities and the efforts to seizure it.
Director C Chandrashekar. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
It featured National Award victor MV Vasudeva Rao of Chomana Dudifame arsenic a tribal person and histrion N Ramakrishna arsenic a wood section authoritative arsenic good arsenic residents of the filming location. Chandrashekar incorporated authentic tribal songs performed by locals for the soundtrack.
Chandrashekar, speaking from his location successful Hanumanthanagar successful Bengaluru, elaborated connected his information to marque Huli Banthu Huli. “While I was studying the problems faced by tribal communities successful the Khanapur wood range, a tiger attacked a tribal woman; this incidental motivated maine to marque a diagnostic movie connected the plight of those surviving adjacent wood ranges.”
After penning the script, Chandrashekar says, helium was looking for a suitable dialog writer. “Kikkeri Narayana’s sanction kept popping up. Kikkeri was an adept successful tribal studies and a writer and agreed to constitute the dialogues successful the tribal dialect.”
He adds however his friend, shaper Pattabhirama Reddy, helped successful the making of the film, camping with him the forest. “UR Ananthamurthy did the ceremonial clap for the inaugural changeable and though I wanted Rajinikanth to play an important relation successful the film, my squad did not o.k. of this thought and opted for Ramakrishna instead.”
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Dramatic start
“It was a herculean task to find a tiger which would travel its handler’s instructions. A person successful the Tamil movie industry, who worked with Sandow MMA Chinnappa Devar known for his films featuring animals, promised to get a tiger from a circus successful Dindigul. The circus proprietor demanded ₹10,000 and sent 10 radical with Jyothi, a tigress, successful a cage.”
The unit members of during the filming ‘Huli Banthu Huli’. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Filming was scheduled to statesman astatine Khanapura colony connected the banks of the Kabini, astatine 4 pm, opening with the country wherever a huntsman shoots a tiger from atop a tree. However, the sudden, unfamiliar noise startled Jyothi and she darted into the meadows. All attempts to hint her failed and adjacent the announcement of a reward was not capable of an inducement to tempt the locals who feared being attacked.
”Days later, Korangu James, a subordinate of our squad noticed a bushed tiger nether a tree. After Jyothi responded to her name, the squad captured her and she was treated by the wood veterinary doctor. After she was refreshed, shooting commenced with precautionary measures.”
Chandrashekar adds however quality of the missing tiger had reached Bengaluru with each paper carrying an nonfiction connected the incident. “Due to this incident, our 20-day shooting docket stretched to 30, incurring further expenditure. Thankfully, since we recovered the tigress we didn’t person to compensate the circus owner.”
Tragic end
Huli Banthu Huli was screened astatine the Panorama conception of the International Film Festival of India 1978, and received the Critics Award. Yet, contempt winning accolades, the movie vanished without a trace.
“I didn’t person the installation to store negatives astatine home, truthful I sent the people to Doordarshan. It was screened erstwhile during premier time, with different award-winning films. After that, each attempts to get the people backmost from Doordarshan person failed. Even now, I don’t cognize wherever it is. This is the destiny of astir celluloid movie successful our country.
