P. Oppili A film on tigress stalking its prey bags award READY FOR SIESTA: The tigress resting at a cave after a kill at the Bhandavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh. CHENNAI: Chakradhara, a tigress in the Bhandavgarh forests in Madhya Pradesh, has proved lucky for Y. Alphonse Roy, a Chennai-based wildlife cinematographer. It gave him a chance to film its stalking a prey. And the film got him an international award. "I have been filming tigers in Bhandavgarh for more than 20 years now. But I was not able to film the predator stalking its prey in the wild. Two years ago, a couple of my friends were talking about such a programme, which later turned out to be a project on tiger stalking its prey,' says Mr. Roy. After finalising the details of the film, Mr. Roy and his team tracked Chakradhara for more than three months. The tigress had four cubs, and the food needs of all of them were high, so Mr. Roy decided to follow her. After completing the spade work, the crew started tracking the tigress. "One day, I was tracking the tigress, sitting on an elephant. Suddenly she chased a spotted deer and got hold of it. But I was unable to film it. But I got another opportunity two days later,' Mr. Roy said. On June 9, 2006, the team began work early in the morning in the forest. When he saw the tigress crouching in a grassy patch, the camera panned her. Within no time, she pounced on an adult spotted deer and majestically walked away with her kill. The last film on a tiger stalking its prey in the Indian forests was taken nearly 30 years ago, Mr. Roy said.