End the animal cruelty debate

Films can go digital to end the 'misuse' of animals

The Aamir Khan starrer, 'Rang De Basanti', recently ran into problems with its use of horses and elephants which caused the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) a lot of heartburn.

Maneka Gandhi, an AWBI member, insisted the film did not have a clearance from the animal welfare board. Ronny Screwalla of UTV, the producer of the movie, however, maintained that all necessary permissions had been sought.

We have had similar incidents with films such as 'Kaal' which was accused of mistreating tigers, lions, pythons, owls and monkeys besides not having the mandatory permission from AWBI.

Aamir Khan's 'Lagaan', too, drew flak from animal rights activists who accused him of "endangering protected species" of deer during the shooting. No official complaint was filed, though.

The debate, it appears, will go on ad nauseum. Accusations, of cruelty towards animals, against producers and actors are increasing. In some cases, they delay the release of films which results in huge financial losses.

A majority of Hindi filmmakers, till date, have pleaded ignorance about laws protecting animals in the face of such accusations. Producers now are toeing the line that they already have clearance by the censor board. Why more clearances? they ask.

The law stipulates that the censor laws and censor board have to examine the issue of cruelty to animals in any film. For instance, showing birds fluttering is strictly illegal and so is showing snakes, or dogs and monkeys doing tricks, or whipping an animal like a horse to make it go faster. It appears from media reports, however, that the perceptions of censor board officials differs from the animal welfare board.

"Ignorantia juris, non excusat" (Ignorance of law is no excuse) in our country. However, there needs to be a consensus between the censor board and the AWBI. They cannot work at cross-purposes.

The question that comes to mind, though, is whether great battle epics like 'Mughal-e-Azam' and 'Ben Hur' can be made without an element of "misuse" of animals. It's a resounding YES. And here's where technology can be a boon.

For instance, take the highly-successful 'ET', 'Jurassic Park', 'King Kong', 'Star Wars' or 'Lord of the Rings'. There's violence, true! However, it's all digital. And it comes at a cost. Animatronics is a much-advanced technique that is used in most films abroad. Producers can digitally manipulate any environment of their choice. Why, closer home, even films like 'Koi Mil Gaya' have used digital effects to make films look realistic.

Sian Lawson (www.fund4horses.com), for instance, swears by the use of digital horses. He does a lot of work with motion capture "� the technique used to create Gollum in Lord of the Rings. He has, in the last year, provided horse movements for films such as 'King Arthur', 'Alexander' and 'Kingdom of Heaven'.

And to provide the movement for sequences such as a horse falling or rearing, he has begun to create a biomechanical tool called the Digital Equine. This will allow horses and their movements to be completely computer-simulated, replacing the role of horse motion capture in the film industry and even removing the need for real horses altogether.

Coming back to the law, the Mumbai High Court has ruled that "the manner in which society treats living beings is reflective, in a fundamental sense, of its culture, compassion and development". Going digital is the answer to end the "misuse" of animals in films. Whatever the cost. Of course, as an aside, the Animal Welfare Board and the animal cruelty debate may simply become redundant.