MUMBAI: Leopards of Bollywood. Armed with a apt title, the documentary produced by Miditech couldn't have come in a better time.
Scheduled to air on Thursday 7 July at 9 pm with repeat telecasts on 9 July and 15 July 2004 National Geographic channel, the documentary tells the terrifying story of leopards that have stuck terror in the commercial and film hub of India- Bollywood.
An hour-long special, Leopard of Bollywood follows Chief Conservator Forests, Pune Prakash Thorse on his mission to minimise the leopard menace in Junnar, Maharastra in India.
With a voice over given by the producer and former print and TV journalist Niret Alva and a pacy "Godfather-isque" sound track, the racy thriller set against the backdrop of Bollywood.
Touted as a story of fear, manipulation, retaliation and revenge and the fight against odds, the story about tracking the leopards down is interestingly juxtaposed with the shooting happening around the film city.
While the special give's enough weightage to both the views of the conservationists, who argue that leopards are not creating the problem, and to the misinformed approach the locals, one wishes it should have talked about the means to protect oneself from the attacks.
"Leopards of Bollywood is another example of compelling programming from the National Geographic Channel. It is our constant endeavour to not only provide credible programming to our viewers but also make it relevant and relatable", offered National Geographic Channel senior VP content and communication Dilshad Master.
Shot for over a period of one year, the show has been the second after Miditech's Operation Hot Pursuit, which was aired last year.
A three man team led by director Animitra Chakravarty, camped inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, for long stretches, over a period of one year to shoot the special. During the shoot, the crew encountered some gruesome leopard attacks on humans. One of the poignant point of the narrative is the live action captured after on one of the leopard attacks, the spine chilling effects have to be seen to be believed.
