Private Project

FISHING CAT THE PRIDE OF BENGAL


The fishing cats, known locally as Baghrol, are endangered wild cats which are also the state animal of West Bengal. Found in the wetland terrains of eastern India, these nocturnal cats are carnivorous predators twice the size of domestic cats, who mainly prey on fish. Due to their likeness of appearance to leopards with olive grey fur and black stripes as well as the fact that they hunt for fish from ponds and fisheries, that the village folk depend on their livelihoods for, a large number of these wild cats are killed by the locals. Further due to widespread industrialization and the clearing of wetland areas for urban development the fishing cats are increasingly losing their habitats. This along with other hazards of human intervention like road kills has caused the Baghrol to become endangered species.
This film seeks to raise awareness among audiences from all walks of life regarding the endangerment of the Baghrol. The filmmaker, Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, aims for this film to be a voice for the ongoing conservation movement for wetlands as well as the fishing cats, namely, the “Save Wetlands, Save Fishing-cat’’ movement.

  • KAUSHIK MUKHOPADHYAY
    Director
  • KAUSHIK MUKHOPADHYAY
    Writer
  • KAUSHIK MUKHOPADHYAY
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 8 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 3, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DEGITAL 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - KAUSHIK MUKHOPADHYAY

Kaushik Mukhopadhyay is, to begin with, a full-time Nature, Adventure and Wildlife filmmaker and photographer and a naturalist in the making. To add to that he is a professional mountaineer, climber and explorer having a reputation for capturing specific and extraordinary frames while climbing in environments which deal with life and death, risks that would give any man goosebumps to remember or rather shivers down his spine but you see, once you tackle them the view which unfurls is awe-inspiring to the eye. Views are an absolute treat to the eye. His knowledge of the climbing gears and techniques allows him to manoeuvre through “the roads not taken”. Thereby you can say his climbing skills give him the privilege to see the unseen and explore the unexplored. The benefits of “the roads not taken” he feels are reflected in his clicks.
You see being an adventurer, exploration has been imprinted in my DNA. As you already know his relationship with Nature kicked this desire in me to see the unseen, to know the unknown and this hunger won’t die until I have explored the seas, the mountains, the oceans, the forests and everything in between. I feel privileged to have been able to become a climber and a naturalist at the same time. You see, my profession provides a lovely crossover between the two. Therefore, here I’m, Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, a Naturalist, a Wildlife and Adventure Photographer and a Filmmaker ready to take charge even in the remotest of areas. He is the sole proprietor of his production “KAUSHIKFRAMES”.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

FISHING CAT THE PRIDE OF BENGAL, presented by KAUSHIKFRAMES, is a small contribution to Fishing
Cat Conservation.
This film tells the pathetic story of the survival of our state animal, the Fishing Cat, which remains neglected and lesser known, and the urgent necessity to conserve the habitat and the species not for nature but only for our existence. In this film, I am introducing the relationship between the villagers and the wild cats in a non-forest area, threats of the cats, local protectors working enormously for the conservation and their demand for securing the unprotected areas. This film makes a bridge between scientists, environmentalists, conservationists, policymakers and the local people, local people who are involved in
keeping the forest intact.
Along with this film, a campaign begins to raise our voices together for securing and conserving the wetland
habitats, marshlands and the wildlife surrounding them named “SAVE WETLAND SAVE FISHING CAT”.
It is a journey of four years following the trails of the cat. We have interviewed various people in society to know the hidden truth behind the cat’s enormous death and the solutions of co-existing humans and the environment in the non-forest areas. Subhajit and I started our journey at the end of 2018. Today, 2023, we are almost at the end. But the journey never ends. It is a new beginning of taking the oath of SAVE
WETLAND SAVE FISHING CAT.
Having no so-called sponsorships and commercial producers, even after doing several meetings with international producers, being a new filmmaker, I, Kaushik Mukhopadhyay, decided to produce the film all alone from my earnings, selling my motorbike, selling all of my mother’s jewellery and withdrawing the maximum amounts of my father’s provident fund, I put into making the film. My relatives produced the rest, and here is the result now. Along with this, I got a bit of support from some of my friends as of their contributions. Although after two years of filming the cat and being a NIKON user for the last decade, they supported me with a lowlight-sensitive camera for two months and in the end, DECATHLON Sports Salt
lake partnered with me as an adventure partner. Thus this film took about four years to make.