BENGALURU, India — ‘Huliyappa,’ an indie short Kannada-language documentary by first-time filmmaker Sourabha Rao, brings to light a centuries-old tradition of worshipping a tiger deity during Deepavali in the remote villages of Uttara Kannada district. The practice, believed to protect people and their livestock from tigers, leopards, and bears, forms the heart of the film.
Shot entirely in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, ‘Huliyappa’ captures the realities of human-wildlife interactions — from losses suffered by villagers and their cattle to the remarkable tolerance and compassion that endure despite these challenges. Through conversations with scholars, farmers, and cowherds, the documentary offers a vivid retelling of rituals and beliefs that have sustained harmony between people and wildlife for generations.
“‘Huliyappa’ is an outcome of the many years I have spent looking into human-wildlife interactions,” said Rao, the film’s director and producer. “Uttara Kannada became my spiritual home when this story came to me. I hope to do whatever little I can as a storyteller to highlight both the challenges our natural world faces and the immense beauty we often take for granted.”
‘Huliyappa’ premiered in June at the Bangalore International Centre and has since been showcased at international festivals. It received the Gold Award for Best First-Time Female Director and the Silver Award for Best Documentary Short at the Los Angeles-based Independent Shorts Awards, and was an official selection at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in Mexico. The documentary is also being screened at schools, colleges, conservation organizations, research institutes, and cultural venues across Karnataka and beyond.
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