Watch Gods in Shackles

Gods in Shackles is a powerful documentary, directed by Sangita Iyer, which explores the cruel treatment of elephants in India during temple festivities. It brings an important and inspiring message to viewers around the world, as it highlights the need for conservation and animal welfare education. This documentary starts by featuring the living conditions and treatment of elephants in captivity. It explains how elephants are treated as gods in India, and how they are exploited for temple festivals, religious processions, and tourist rides. The elephants are chained up, deprived of food and water, beaten, and subjected to physical abuse.

The movie goes on to explore the culture of elephant training in India and how these animals are made to perform unnatural acts, such as dancing, standing on their hind legs, and spinning in circles. The filmmakers even show that this mistreatment of animals has minor popular support in the cities and surrounding areas.

The documentary also highlights the positive steps being taken by a small number of individuals in India to improve the lives of these majestic animals by establishing sanctuaries for rescued elephants. These sanctuaries allow these animals to live in a more natural habitat, without being subjected to cruelty and exploitation.

The documentary shows how elephants can peacefully coexist with human beings, but it also highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts to ensure that these animals do not become extinct. The lack of awareness among people about animal welfare is another issue that the documentary addresses, and it aims to reach out to individuals to raise awareness regarding the importance of animal conservation.

The documentary features interviews with animal welfare workers, veterinarians, elephant trainers and owners, and also with the devotees who support ritualistic use of elephants for religious festivals. The intense discussions about the training methods, mating rituals, natural locations, and caretaking habits of elephants are quite insightful and illuminating.

One of the noteworthy plot points of the movie is the fight for the survival of the majestic Asian elephants. The filmmakers portray that the population of Asian elephants has drastically declined due to habitat destruction and other factors. This makes it difficult for zoologists and conservationists to rescue them from abusive situations and relocate them in their natural habitat. The documentary showcases how even the rescued elephants face severe medical conditions and several health issues post-rescue from temple festivals and other performances that they undergo in captivity.

Gods in Shackles is an excellent documentary that is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in conservation, animal welfare, and awareness-raising. Its cinematography is also exquisite, featuring panoramic aerial shots of Kerala's scenic beauty, interspersed with heart-wrenching footage of elephants in chains, subjected to abuse and mistreatment.

Another important aspect of the documentary is the role of religious institutions and the support of political figures in illegal practices of exploiting temple elephants in Kerala. Gods in Shackles brings into the spotlight the need for stricter laws and policies that prevent animal abuse.

Overall, Gods in Shackles is an important, eye-opening movie that is both informative and profoundly moving. It sheds light on a pressing issue and encourages viewers to take action, becoming part of the solution that honors and respects the lives of our animal cohabitants.

Gods in Shackles is a 2016 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.