All3Media, OSF, Aranya Parva partner on Sugandhi Gadadhar’s Indian otter diary doc for Arte

My Otter Diary was shot by Sugandhi Gadadhar over five years

Arte, All3Media International, Oxford Scientific Films and Aranya Parva Creations have teamed up for a documentary in which wildlife filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar follows the lives of an otter family in India.

My Otter Diary (1×60′) has been shot over five years and follows Gadadhar as she gets to know a playful and resilient otter family living in one of India’s most rapidly changing waterways, the Cauvery River, also known as the Kaveri.

Commissioned by European broadcaster Arte, it is filmed, narrated and directed by Gadadhar, a National Geographic Explorer and freelance wildlife cinematographer.

National Geographic Explorers receives funding and support from the National Geographic Society to illuminate and protect the natural world through its work in science, exploration, education and storytelling.

The producer is Raghunath ‘Rana’ Belur of Aranya Parva Creations and the executive producers for ITV Studios-owned Oxford Scientific Films are Caroline Hawkins and Helen Conlan. The show is produced in association with distributor All3Media International.

Rachel Job, senior VP of unscripted content at All3Media International, said: “Renowned documentary maker Sugandhi Gadadhar has created a beautifully made, richly detailed and intimate film that is heart-warming, hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, whilst also delivering a powerful message about the delicate balance between humans and the natural world.”

Gadadhar said: “It is a little-known fact that otters exist in India, yet an otter is to a river what a tiger is to a forest. They are the apex predators in the river. The otters and the fishermen have given me a window into their lives, showing me both the beauty and the plight of the Cauvery River.”