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Accoridng to the latest reports, Bomman has said that he has no idea who sent the filmmaker the legal notice and assured that he does not know the advocate mentioned in the document.
In a video, Bomman said that he had no knowledge of what was happening and that he didn’t have any ‘piece of evidence’. Defending his director, he said that Kartiki spoke to him and promised to help him.
When asked about taking the legal route and going to court, he asked, “What will I do with the case? They have promised to help me and given this job.”
Reports on Monday morning stated that the stars of the Oscar-winning doccumentary, were seeking a ‘goodwill gesture’ of Rs 2 crore from filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves. In the legal notice, a copy of which PTI obtained, it is stated that the couple were promised a ‘proper house’ and an ‘all-terrain multi-purpose vehicle’ and ‘sufficient financial support as a one-time lump sum payment’ (without mentioning the amount) as compensation for their time, based on the income generated from the project.
The legal notice also said that on the one hand, the couple were introduced as “the real heroes” to the elite, celebrities, sports persons and political leaders, gaining wide publicity for them. But on the other hand, the filmmaker got all the financial benefits from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the Prime Minister of India, the notice stated.
When PTI reached out to Bomman, he said he was advised not to talk about the case anymore and asked us to get in touch with his lawyers for further information.
Chennai-based social activist Pravin Raj, a lawyer by profession, said he put the couple in touch with a law firm in Chennai when the two approached him. “Both Bomman and Bellie are disappointed with Gonsalves, who had promised them monetary help has well as help with the education of Bellie’s granddaughter, while making the film. But she now refuses to give even a fraction of the enormous profits made by the film,” said Raj.
“Instead, Gonsalves is not even picking up the phone when Bomman calls,” added Raj.
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Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Sikhya Entertainment Pvt Ltd, it is stated that “all claims made are untrue.”
It added that the goal of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ was always to highlight elephant conservation, the tremendous efforts of the forest department and its mahouts Bomman and Bellie. It added that Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin has made donations towards assisting the 91 mahouts and cavadis who look after the state’s elephants, constructing eco-friendly houses for the caretakers and developing an elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
