NAGPUR: Even as Hindi movie Sherni, released last week is a fiction based on the killing of Pandharkawda tigress T1 aka Avni, two senior forest officials who had led the operation, want all to know the real story.
On June 20, KM Abharna, the then Pandharkawda deputy conservator (DyCF), had made it clear that several facts have been fictionalized in the film.
Currently, she is the director of Bamboo Research & Training Centre (BRTC), Chandrapur.
On Wednesday, both ex-PCCF (wildlife) AK Misra, who issued orders to capture/shoot T1 and headed the entire operation, and then APCCF (wildlife-east) Sunil Limaye, who is now APCCF (wildlife-west), said they find the entire discussion on ‘Sherni’ amusing.
Both had camped in Pandharkawda during the operation.
The problem tigress was eliminated on November 2, 2018.
The movie clearly says that it is a work of fiction.
Even if it did not say so, it is a Bollywood movie and not a documentary.
In addition, it is a film that may be of interest to the common man.
“There are lots of factual blunders in the film.
This is a typical film that cashes in on depicting government authorities in a bad taste,” says Misra.
According to Misra, the central character Vidya Vincent (based on DyCF Abharna) did excellent work during that period.
“All other characters have been shown in a negative light.
Everyone wanted to save the tigress and there was no villain,” he said.
“The operation prolonged over a year because all the efforts were taken to capture T1 alive.
Had the authorities been keen to shoot the tigress, it would have been done over several months ago when six humans were killed,” said Misra.
The story indicates that some criminal act was committed to shoot T1, said Mishra.
“In fact, it was done under the orders of statutory authority only after recommendations from the field and supervisory officers down the line, including the DyCF.
Courts too had upheld these orders,” he said.
Limaye feels senior forest officers have been portrayed in a bad taste — drinking and merry-making.
“The fact is non-veg food and liquor is prohibited in Maharashtra forest rest houses for the last two decades.
In fact, all the staff members and officers had worked hard in the last several months of the operation,” he said.
“Many times they were even gheraoed by angry mobs, risking their safety and lives.
But no such gate crashing in the forest office happened as shown in the film.
‘Sherni’ misleads by showing that mining was responsible for declaring the tigress a man-eater.
The nearest existing mine is 60-70 km from the site of operation,” said Misra.
The film shows dense forest “but the area of T1 is a fragmented forest with a mosaic of dominantly agriculture fields and over 40 villages interspersed”.
The films shows that the private shooter cannot differentiate between tiger, leopard and sloth bear signs and marks.
“It is just laughable,” said Misra.
The film shows that the inquiry was deliberately avoided but two very high-level panels submitted their reports to the state.
Besides, ballistic and narcotropic drugs forensic investigation was also done.
“The storyline was new and could have made an impact, but the opportunity has been badly squandered by director Amit Masurkar.
No official involved in the operation was consulted,” said Misra.