Wild truths of Tamil roots

In the roars of lions, the silent moves of ants, the paintings by fireflies, and elephants moving like whispers through misty slopes, lies a cinematic poem that the documentary film Wild Tamil Nadu captures

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AMID the dense forests and wide-open lands in the heart of Tamil Nadu’s wilderness, there are layered lives that coexist in the absence of a leadership; with their different sounds, multiple legs, and unwritten rules — sometimes in battle and on the lookout but always in harmony with the land they call home, forming a rich ecological symphony. These physical spaces make Tamil Nadu a shelter for the most biodiverse landscapes in the country.

Following the success of Wild Karnataka—a documentary directed by Bengaluru-based conservationists Amoghavarsha JS and Kalyan Varma — in 2020, Arathi Krishna, managing director of Sundram Fasteners Ltd, reached out to the Emmy-nominated filmmaker Kalyan to orchestrate a documentary “appreciating and admiring the state’s [Tamil Nadu] incredible biodiversity and the cultural connection that our people have shared with nature.”

Backed by Sundaram Fasteners, director Kalyan scheduled his recce sessions while building a team of musician Ricky Kej, actor Arvind Swamy for narration, co-director and editor Akhilesh Tambe, and executive producer Rohit Varma. The result is an hour-long visual odyssey that stretches from the mountains of the Western Ghats to the deep edges of the Indian Ocean. Premiered on October 16 at PVR Sathyam, Wild Tamil Nadu is a visually striking chronicle of how land, language, and life converge in the state. It is a journey that took nearly five years, countless permissions, and more than a thousand hours of raw footage.

A rooted narrative