The Karnataka High Court has issued an interim order disallowing the makers of the documentary film Wild Karnataka from marketing, selling, distributing or airing the film in any manner till August 3.The order issued by the bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindraj restrains the filmmakers from "publishing, reproducing, broadcasting, telecasting, marketing, selling, distributing and exhibiting or in any way dealing with the film Wild Karnataka including the raw footage." The bench was hearing a petition filed by Ravindra N Redkar and Ullash Kumar RK, which raised allegations about the commercialisation of the film and denial of the Karnataka Forest Department’s share from the film’s revenue.
The petitioner has stated that the filmmakers – Amoghavarsha, Kalyan Varma, Sarath Champati – approached the Karnataka Forest Department about making a film on the state's rich biodiversity in 2014. The one-hour documentary film narrated by British broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough was first shown to the public in 2019. The filming was done in forest areas across Karnataka with the help of the state Forest Department. The filmmakers shot on the field in Honnavar, Bidar, Sharavathi, Koppal, Hampi, Siruguppa, Bhadra Tiger Reserve, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, BRT, Nagarahole, Agumbe, Bhimgad and Daroji.
However, when the filmmakers tried to release the film theatrically in 2020, the Karnataka Forest Department objected to it and uploaded the full film online. The department claimed that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the filmmakers gave them the power to release the film.
The plea in the High Court by Ravindra N Redkar and Ullash Kumar RK also referred to the MoU and alleged that it was cleverly worded to favour the filmmakers by separating the one-hour documentary from the 'raw footage' shot for the making of it. The plea added the filmmakers entered into an agreement to produce and distribute the film with Icon Films Ltd in 2018 without informing the Karnataka Forest Department.
The plea says that the makers of the film provided the final copy of the film to the Forest Department in June 2019, 15 months after the date mentioned in the MoU and with the caveat that it will be for internal and offline use and for awareness programmes. The filmmakers also handed over 320 hours of raw footage although the total raw footage was over 400 hours captured during 15,000 hours of field work. It was pointed out that the Forest Department did not ask for the remaining raw footage. The plea also alleges irregularities with the filming.
The High Court has issued notices to respondents, directing them to respond by August 3. The makers of the film declined to comment on the case.