After tracking Ranthambore’s famous matriarch for nine of her eventful 19 years, wildlife filmmaker
S Nallamuthu explains his final shots of Machli’s death in markedly unsentimental terms. “The idea was to make sure the shots were taken properly. I couldn’t be sure just when she had passed away,” he says.
Speaking to an audience in Delhi recently,
Nallamuthu explained that the professional in him never faltered as a weak and emaciated
Machli, once the unquestioned queen of
Ranthambore Fort, and mother of a rare four litters, sank in soft slush never to rise again. His homage to this magnificent tigress demanded nothing less. Machli, with fork markings on her face, like small trishuls, was an international celebrity and Nallamuthu her devoted chronicler.
The film, ‘The world’s most famous tiger’, was released recently and the interaction allowed the filmmaker to share his insights on an extraordinary life in the wild. “I had to condense close to 400 hours of footage to make sure I did not miss important events in her life,” he said. And the shots are extraordinary, like a brief two-minute showdown with her ambitious daughter
Sundari that ends in Machli losing control of the fort, her bastion for close to 10 years.
The award-winning filmmaker pointed out that Machli is the fount of a remarkable dynasty that dominated the national park in
Rajasthan, which is home to big cats, marsh crocodiles (muggers), deer, wild hogs and numerous bird species. “Her bloodline lives in her daughters and sons, some of whom challenged her dominion and even snatched her kills,” said Nallamuthu.
In her prime, Machli had a long stint as numero uno, she was an astute and brave hunter and opponent, beating back challenges from bigger and stronger tigers. After every monsoon, when the park is inaccessible, Nallamuthu would go back to see how the family was doing.
The film captures Machli’s decline and the unusual instance of a former mate, also struggling to beat the odds of nature, joining her in what almost seems an act of companionship. Shots of a gaunt Machli are a sobering reminder of cycle of birth and death. But it’s her power and guile that will be remembered.
