Vikas Badiger’s The Ocean Connection stirs conservation waters

Vikas in Honnavar
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The coastal regions of Karnataka, their rich folklore, dances and culture have always been a source of fascination. Films such as Kantara captured not just the culture, but also the religious beliefs of Keradi, a Western coastal region of Karnataka. Now, documentary filmmaker, Vikas Badiger has come out with The Ocean Connection that depicts not just the fishing hamlet of Honnavar, but also their efforts in the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles.

For members of this community, this act of conservation act is linked to their religious beliefs of the ‘Koorma avataar’ of Vishnu, says Vikas.

“The entire process of conservation was triggered by the fishermen, who connected with Sandeep Hegde, a trustee of the Honnavar Foundation, and from there on what followed was a domino effect,” says Vikas, who has jointly produced the film with Sandeep.

Vikas, an MBA graduate and founder of an online platform called Faces of Bengaluru, describes himself as someone with a “passion for chronicling stories of people and places of Bengaluru’‘. Kathegala Kanive (a film on transgenders) and Thou Shall Not Steel (a film on a citizen’s protest against a steel flyover in Bengaluru) are some of his earlier films.

The Ocean Connection is a 35-minute documentary on the marine life and fishing industry in Honnavar. It also majorly draws our attention to the sea turtle-conservation project. The film not only captures the scenic beauty of Honnavar, devoid of modernisation, but also asks some tough questions about privatisation plans for the beach, which would result in ruining the nesting grounds for the turtles.

Stills from the documentary
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“This may lead to the death of the next generation of sea turtles in the region,” says Vikas, who is “busy trying to market the film and promote ample screenings so this cause can reach many views”.

“This film made with a limited budget that included travelling outside of Bengaluru, had its fair share of challenges. Yet, we managed to shoot it in 11 days,” claims Vikas, who has written and directed The Ocean Connection.

He credits Sandeep for providing the impetus to get it done. “He approached us to make this documentary. As far as I know, fishermen never worry about what happens with nature, but focus on just getting their needs met. But, with the Honnavar fishing community, they were worried — not just about their livelihoods, but also the sea turtles and their conservation, which has been happening extensively in Honnavar for the past two decades. The touching part is that they proactively connected with people around them and gained knowledge about fishing and turtle conservation,” says the young director, whose documentary features not just the ocean, turtles and the fishing community, but is also supported with facts and studies presented by Prakash Mesta (a marine biologist), Sreeja Chakraborty (a lawyer) and Sandeep.

The best part was exploring the everyday dynamics of the fishermen, which is a huge industry in itself in Honnavar, says Vikas, who now plans to send his documentary to film festivals.

The Ocean Connection will be screened on February 3, 6pm at Suchitra Film Society; on February 4, 6.30pm at Renukamba Digital Studio. Tickets on BookMyShow