https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

`Sherni’: When Reel and Real Life Collide

Vidya Balan starrer `Sherni’ works on several levels. Former IFS officer Mr Digvijay Singh Khati is among those who feel that the movie, which released recently on Amazon Prime Video, holds several important lessons on conservation for all of us.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Like a trained hound going after a scared rabbit, the hunter went after the tigress and her two cubs. At the same time a senior IFS officer, helped by over 200 team members from the Madhya Pradesh forest department, went about with a single aim of saving their lives. This is how the film `Sherni’, starring Vidya Balan and a host of versatile Bollywood actors, unfolds for better part of over two-hour long duration.

`Sherni’ holds a lot of lessons in conservation and wildlife management. It has already opened to rousing critical acclaim, but many in the media seemed to have overlooked the important points it makes.

For the first time perhaps, an Indian film has reached this far with its honest portrayal of man-animal conflict. It has touched upon the themes we all are quite aware of, namely the blocking of animal corridors with disastrous results for the wildlife, illegal felling of trees and jungles and appropriation of animals’ rights by unscrupulous politicians.

The film also has an uncanny resemblance to the 2018 killing of tigress Avni – allegedly a man-eater- in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Shot down by a trophy hunter, Avni’s death triggered nationwide outrage among wildlife lovers and environmentalists and remains a black spot on otherwise commendable efforts to save our national animal from the path of extinction.

Slice of Reality: Tigress Avni with cubs, before a trophy hunter shot her dead

MORE THAN A THRILLER

`Sherni’ is a truthful depiction of how we view wildlife and forests. It’s an edge-of-the-seat kind of thriller but does not move with conventional pace. Rather, it draws you in- first slowly, and then with the force of a tornado- with its docu-drama style of presentation. Perhaps this was the best way to dish out the unvarnished truth for our jaded sensibilities. And director Amit Masurkar, who earlier gave us the superb `Newton’ with Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi, has once again come out with a winner.

Senior IFS officer Mr Digvijay Singh Khati, who retired recently as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF)of Uttarakhand, is among those who feel that `Sherni’ holds several important lessons for us. For one, he told Indian Masterminds, “the film has reminded us that saving tiger as well as forests and other wildlife is not just the responsibility of the forest department but of all of us. Tiger being a national animal, it’s a national duty of all stake-holders, and that include elected representatives and well meaning individuals to work for its well being.’’

ROLE OF WELL-MEANING INDIVIDUALS

Actor Vijay Raaz, who plays the role of zoologist Hassan Noorani in `Sherni’, goes out of his way to propogate the message of environmental awareness. Holding street plays with dummy tigers is what he really likes, apart from collecting DNA samples of tigers. Says Mr Khati, “people like him (Noorani) who act as a bridge between the forest department and the people have a tremendous role to play. We need such individuals and well meaning organizations for success of our conservation projects, be it saving tigers or jungles.’’

NOTHING SURVIVES IN ISOLATION

`Sherni’ also makes another point: the tribal people’s symbiotic linkage with the forests. Mr Khati agrees that this is not an antagonist relationship. “In fact,’’ he points out, “a new realization is dawning that when it comes to landscape planning, humans have to be taken as a part of it. They cannot be excluded out of it.’’

Mr Khati is right. Nothing can survive in isolation: neither the forests not the people. They both are intrinsically attached with each other, each requiring the other for their survival.

Coming as it did in these days of pandemic and the mass shock-waves it has produced among people, `Sherni’ message of respecting environment will surely be picked up and appreciated by discerning viewers.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Bihar Elections 2025: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Addresses 5 Key Issues - SIR, Fake Voting, Freebies & More
BSNL
BSNL Surpasses Airtel in Mobile Subscriber Growth After Nearly a Year; Jio Leads with 19 Lakh Additions in August
NTPC_Tapovan Donates_Ambulance_
NTPC Hands Over ₹30 Lakh Advanced Life Support Ambulance to Chamoli District Hospital to Boost Emergency Healthcare
NTPC_Barauni_signed_agreement_
NTPC Barauni to Install 89 High-Mast Lights Across Begusarai to Boost Safety and Community Development
BPCL_bags_Excellence_Awards_
BPCL Wins Top Honours for City Gas Distribution and Customer Service at 19th PNGRB Foundation Day
Allahabad high court
SC Collegium Approves Appointment of Vinai Kumar Dwivedi as Judge of Allahabad High Court
JK Cement Health Camp Panna
Free Health Camp Organised for Forest Personnel During Wildlife Week 2025 by South Panna Forest Division
REC Mobile Medical Units
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav Flags Off REC’s ₹5.71 Cr Mobile Medical Units to Boost Rural Healthcare in Rajasthan
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Discover how IDES officer Saquib Alam left his corporate job at Mahindra, overcame six UPSC attempts,...
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Read the inspiring journey of IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal, 2023 batch, Gujarat cadre. From IIT Guwahati to clearing...
Sagar Datta Majumdar UPSC CSE 2024 AIR 317
“Don’t get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-doubt,” says UPSC Achiever Sagar Datta Majumdar
Discover how Sagar Datta Majumdar from Agartala, Tripura, cracked UPSC CSE 2024 with All India Rank 317....
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Bihar Elections 2025: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Addresses 5 Key Issues - SIR, Fake Voting, Freebies & More
BSNL
BSNL Surpasses Airtel in Mobile Subscriber Growth After Nearly a Year; Jio Leads with 19 Lakh Additions in August
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT