Bomman and Bellie, the tribal couple central to the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers', have raised allegations of financial exploitation and neglect against the creators of the film. The documentary, which earned an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film in 2023, highlighted the couple's extraordinary relationship with elephants and their conservation efforts in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

The couple contends that they incurred significant expenses during the film's production but were not adequately compensated by the makers of 'The Elephant Whisperers'. The couple drew attention to a wedding scene they were asked to participate in, for which they incurred substantial costs. They claimed that they had to spend funds reserved for Bellie's granddaughter's education to facilitate this scene. “Kartiki said she wanted to shoot the wedding scene in one day. However, she did not have the money for it and asked us to arrange the same. It cost us around Rs 1 lakh. Even though Kartiki had promised us that she would return the money, she has not returned it till now. Whenever we call her, she says she is busy and that she will return our calls soon. But she never does," the couple said.