Life of 'Machli' turned into a movie shot over 10 years

Machli — the most-photographed and most famous tigress in the world — came back to life in Rangayan Auditorium at Jaipur on Thursday evening. A film on Machli which traced her life from the prime of her life to her last breath over a span of 10 years was put on celluloid by S Nallamuthu.

Machli, named so because of her markings, is also called the Lady of The Lake — a title she inherited along with the territory from her mother.

The film showcased her moments of pride like the famous fight with a crocodile and her agile aggressive hunting as well as not-so-glorious moments like when she was banished from her territory as her daughter Sundari staked claim and her struggle to hunt with feeble legs.

Nallamuthu, with his commentary, displayed his passion for the lovely tigress especially when she was breathing her last. "I knew she was dying, but I was glad she was not alone," Nallamuthu had narrated when showing Machli's last moments.

The gun-salute and funeral on a pyre given to Machli by the forest department; create a sense of loss, but Nalla ends on a positive note depicting Sundari's cubs and the surmise that Machli's gene pool lives on in Ranthambore.

"The first film I made was her being banished from her territory by her daughter. She had me fascinated. Machli became a part of my life, I filmed her for close to ten years," Nallamuthu told DNA.

"While tiger films are generally made from when they are cubs till the time they reach adulthood, this is the first film that follows a tigress from prime to death," he said.

Bina Kak, who has recently published a book on the tigers of Ranthambore, said, "Machli was fascinating, I have seen her on countless occasions, I could feel a soul connect with her."

"Machli is not a tigress, she is the largest contribution to the conservation of tigers in the wild. The movie is the biggest tribute to the tigress," said Dhirendra Godha, wildlife expert.

"I have seen Machli on several occasions. It was a trip down memory lane to see her on celluloid," said Vaibhav Gehlot, son of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

The film can be seen February 26 at 8.00 pm on National Geographic channel.

The audience at the special screening of Machli comprised Rajya Sabha MP Ahmad Patel, forest minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar, former forest minister Bina Kak, former DGP Ajit Singh, Vaibhav Gehlot, Dharmendra Kanwar, Mini Sampatram, Narendra Singh of erstwhile Jaipur royal family, Noted environmentalist, Harsh Vardhan, Jane Himmat Singh and Timmie Kumar to name a few.

The Rangayan Auditorium at JKK was full to its capacity and had audience sitting in the aisles on the floor.