Bellie is an Indian mahout, who works with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. She made headlines in March 2023 after the short documentary film The Elephant Whisperers in which she appeared along with her husband Bomman won an Oscar.
Bellie Bio
Bellie was born in 1973 (age 50 years; as of 2023) in Madumalai, Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India.
Physical Appearance
- Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
- Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Bellie was born into a Hindu family belonging to the Kattunayakan tribe in Tamil Nadu.
Bellie’s first husband died after he was attacked by a tiger. Her second husband, Bomman, is a mahout working with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Bellie got married to him in the late 2000s.
Bellie had a son and a daughter. Her son died during the shooting of The Elephant Whisperers. Her daughter, whom she had from her first husband, passed away in a local hospital after she set herself ablaze.
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Carrier
Following her first husband’s death, Bellie was employed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to temporarily assist Bomman in taking care of the rescued elephants. In May 2017, she began working as a caretaker for Raghu, a 3-month-old elephant calf, after it was rescued by Bomman.
In June 2019, she worked as a caretaker for Bommi (aka Ammu), a female elephant calf. In 2023, Bomman, in an interview, said that she was working as a house help at a forest department official’s residence in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp.
In 2017, Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, the director and producer of The Elephant Whisperers, approached Bomman and Bellie to cast them, along with Raghu and Bommi, in her short documentary film. The film completed its production in 2022, and it premiered on Netflix on 8 December 2022. On 13 March 2023, the film received an Oscar.