Spotting an elephant stepping out into human settlement isn’t an everyday sight. “I was told the chances of spotting one during our eight-day stay were next to none,” recalls 21-year-old filmmaker Devshree Khedekar, who visited Trunk Call Wildlife Foundation’s conservation efforts in rural Kolhapur led by elephant whisperer Anand Shinde, to film her new documentary late last year. The crew anticipated a quiet stay in the usually serene village. And then, it happened.

Khedekar works on a shot