On December 10, 2025, Mallappa, a farmer, was attacked by a tiger in Kundakere village of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka while he was tending his cattle in the fields. Chaos broke out in Bandipur on December 27, when forest supervisor Sanna Haida was killed by a tiger, becoming the fourth person to fall victim to animal attacks in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BRT) area after three farmers.
Increase in human-animal conflict
Today, Karnataka’s tiger problem arises less from the survival of the species and more from the challenges posed by the success of its conservation. With the increase in tiger population in sanctuaries like Nagarhole, Bandipur, Bhadra, Kali and BRT, man-animal conflict is intensifying in the state.
These conflicts account for nearly 60% of all human deaths linked to wildlife encounters in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan in the last four years. According to Forest Minister Ishwar Khandre, 203 people are expected to die in man-animal conflict in Karnataka between 2022 and 2025. These data highlight the impact on populations living in the forest areas of southern Karnataka, where human settlements are increasingly overlapping with wildlife habitat.
Recent events remind Huli Banthu Huli, A 91-minute feature film, produced by Malnad Movie Makers in 1975 and released in 1977. Directed by C Chandrasekhar, the film was screened in the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India 1978 and received the Critics Award.
Exploring the historical conflict between man and tiger, Huli Banthu Huli It continues to resonate even today. It marked Chandrashekhar’s directorial debut and earned him the nickname ‘Huli’ (tiger). Filmed in Khanapur, HD Kote and backwaters of Kabini, Huli Banthu Huli It tells of a man-eating tiger terrorizing tribal communities and his attempts to capture it.
Director C Chandrashekhar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It included National Award winner MV Vasudev Rao kiss doodyfame and actor N Ramakrishna as a tribal leader as a forest department official as well as residents of the filming location. Chandrashekhar incorporated authentic tribal songs performed by the local people for the soundtrack.
Chandrashekhar, speaking from his home in Hanumanthnagar, Bengaluru, elaborated on his inspiration for making it Huli Banthu Huli. “While I was studying the problems faced by tribal communities in the Khanapur forest range, a tiger attacked a tribal woman; this incident inspired me to make a feature film on the plight of the people living near the forest range.”
Chandrashekhar says that after writing the script, he was looking for a suitable dialogue writer. “Kikkeri Narayan’s name kept coming up again and again. Kikkeri was an expert and writer in tribal studies and agreed to write the dialogues in the tribal dialect.”
He says how his friend, producer Pattabhirama Reddy, helped him make the film by camping in the forest with him. “UR Ananthamurthy clapped for the opening shot and although I wanted Rajinikanth to play an important role in the film, my team did not accept the idea and chose Ramakrishna instead.”
Also read: Wild and Safe: On the growing human-wildlife conflict
dramatic debut
“It was a difficult task to find a tiger that would follow the instructions of its handler. A friend in the Tamil film industry, who worked with Sando MMA Chinnappa Devar, known for his animal-based films, promised to bring a tiger from a circus in Dindigul. The circus owner demanded ₹10,000 and sent 10 people with a tigress named Jyoti in a cage.”
Crew members during the filming of ‘Huli Banthu Huli’. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Filming was scheduled to begin at 4 pm in Khanapura village on the banks of Kabini, starting with the scene where a hunter shoots a tiger from atop a tree. However, suddenly, an unfamiliar noise startles Jyoti and she runs into the meadow. All efforts to locate him failed and even the announcement of a reward was not enough to tempt the locals who feared an attack.
“A few days later, Korangu James, a member of our team, spotted an exhausted tiger under a tree. After Jyoti responded to her name, the team caught her and she was treated by the forest veterinarian. After she freshened up, the shoot began with precautionary measures in place.”
Chandrashekhar says how the news of the missing tiger had reached Bengaluru and an article on the incident was published in every newspaper. “Due to this incident, our 20-day shooting schedule extended to 30 days, leading to additional expenses. Thankfully, since we got the tigress, we did not have to compensate the circus owner.”
sad ending
Huli Banthu Huli It was screened in the Panorama section of the 1978 International Film Festival of India and received the Critics Award. Yet, despite winning praise, the film disappeared without a trace.
“I did not have the facility to store the negative at home, so I sent the print to Doordarshan. It was screened once along with other award-winning films during prime time. After that, all efforts to get the print back from Doordarshan have failed. Even now, I do not know where it is. This is the fate of most of the celluloid films in our country.
published – January 14, 2026 04:00 PM IST