Nadeem Shehzad

Nadeem: I am Nadeem Shehzad, founder of Wildlife Rescue, the organization that the film accompanies. We have a rehabilitation center for birds of prey. Delhi has a large population of these birds, particularly black kites. Birds of prey are raptors. Many raptors come to us. This is partly due to the cultural practice of flying paper kites. These are connected to a sharp string coated with powdered glass. This way, one can cut through the kite strings of others. When the birds fly into the string, they suffer varying degrees of injury.

India has many meat processing plants—the country is one of the largest exporters of meat worldwide. The by-products of meat processing are dumped in open landfills. There, many scavenger birds find a food source. That is the reason why we have such a large population of black kites.

Saud: I am Saud. I am one of the co-founders of Wildlife Rescue. I take care of treating the animals, the office work, the organization. Something like that.

FoG How did work on Wildlife Rescue begin?

Nadeem: Our involvement dates back to the 1990s when we were still schoolchildren. We came across an injured black kite lying on the side of the road. We took it to a bird hospital, where we also took pigeons when we found them. To our surprise, the staff refused to treat it. They said, „This bird is a carnivore. We cannot give it meat. Please take it with you.“ (Vegetarian Hindus avoid touching meat. Editor's note.)
There was no one willing to take him in. We left the bird in the same spot where we had found it in the morning. Over the years, we saw many injured birds of prey, but we knew there was nowhere we could take them. So we ignored them. Time passed. In 2003, we came across another injured black kite in a parking lot. We almost ignored it. Then the thought occurred to us: „Why don't we take him home? And if there is no hospital for them, we'll call the vet to treat him at home.“
After a few days we found another bird. And after a few more days, another one. We built a small cage on our roof. At night these birds were locked in the cage so that they were safe from the animals of the night. During the day they walked around on the roof of our house. When people saw that we had kites on our roof, they brought us birds they had found themselves.
After a while, the birds recovered and were able to fly away. This strengthened our confidence that we could heal them.
After seven years, in 2010, we registered as an organization.
After that, we began taking in birds from various hospitals. We told the hospitals that didn't take in raptors because they couldn't treat them: „You accept them, and we'll pick them up.“
Over the past 14 years, since 2010, we have taken in about 30,000 birds, mainly birds of prey. Going by the numbers, we could be the largest raptor center in the world.
We receive about 3,300 birds of prey every year.

Saud: This year the number might reach 4,000. So far, in August, we have already treated 3,000 birds.

FoG How did the collaboration with filmmaker Shaunak Sen come about?

Nadeem: He learned about us at the University of Cambridge, where he had a job. When he returned to Delhi, he contacted us.
He arrived on New Year's Eve 2018. Filming began in January 2019. It took three years for the film to be completely shot. It was released in January 2022.
Due to Covid, we had to temporarily interrupt filming, but whenever the lockdowns were lifted, we started shooting again. During the Covid lockdowns, we were working. People were at home. They had nothing to do, so they flew a lot of kites, which led to more injuries in birds.

FoG Have you and Shaunak discussed the concept of the film?

Nadeem: We had no idea what the film would look like. After two years of shooting, Shaunak said, „Didn't you see my previous film?“ I said, „No.“ Whereupon he showed us his film Cities of Sleep sent. It is about homeless people in Delhi who sleep on the streets. When the film was finally finished and a copy was ready, we were astonished. „What kind of film is this?“ we asked. „It doesn't feel like a documentary, it doesn't feel like a feature film.“ So our first reaction was: „This is a peculiar film. Do you really want people to see this?“

Saud: Aman (the producer) asked me: „What do you think of the movie?“ I said: „It's unique.“ He said: „Nothing more?“ I said: „Nothing more.“

FoG How has the film process affected your life and that of the birds?

Nadeem: When filming began in January 2019, director Shaunak said, „As soon as I see you yawn in front of the camera, we can produce usable footage.“ We tried hard not to yawn, but after six months Shaunak called and said we finally had the material we needed because I had yawned – without realizing it myself. So it had taken six months for us to feel comfortable in front of the cameras. The microphones, too – we often forgot that we were wired and that someone was listening in all day long. That's how we developed a sign language for private conversations.

Even the birds got used to the cameras. At first they were afraid when people pointed lenses at them. They thought they were being threatened. But over time they got used to it. They finally relaxed in front of the camera, perhaps even more than we do.

FoGHow large was the film crew?

Nadeem: That varied. Sometimes there were only three people, sometimes up to twelve, depending on the season and what was being filmed at the time. The cameraman Ben Bernhard from Germany came with a large team and used sophisticated equipment like cranes and trolleys. They filmed five days a week, from morning until late at night. Sometimes, when we were already working at 2 a.m., they were there too.

Sometimes I sat with the director and made suggestions for the camera angle. That way we were actively involved.

FoG Did the camera influence your actions?

Nadeem: It felt like the camera wasn't there. Shaunak wanted to capture our real personalities. As soon as we got used to the cameras, we just went about our work, even during a few arguments. We didn't act for the camera, we were simply ourselves.

Saud: Yes, we had a lot of arguments in front of the camera.

Nadeem: We actually argue quite a bit. But that doesn't affect our relationship. We argue and afterwards everything is just as if nothing had happened. That also surprised the film crew. We are actually more like two friends than like brothers.

FoG The film deals with two narrative levels – how we treat nature and how we treat each other. How much do religious conflicts influence your lives?

Nadeem: We are accustomed to the reality of our society. When we were young, there was a lot of religious unrest, but for many years there was peace. In 2020, there were some religious conflicts, but by now the situation has calmed down, and there has been no violence in the past four years. We hope that peace will prevail.

People of all ethnicities bring injured birds to us, and they all appreciate our work, regardless of their religion.

FoG How was the film received by the Indian audience?

Nadeem: The film was released on an online platform, so not many Indians have seen it. But at screenings in Delhi, we participate in Q&A sessions, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. People are praising both our work and the quality of the film. We hope to show the film in other countries like Switzerland and Germany as well, if someone can help us with that.

FoG Did the success of the film and the Oscar nomination help your cause?

Nadeem: Yes, many people who see the film contact us or donate. We receive many small donations from all over the world, including from one of the film's producers, Tangled Bank Studios. Now we are looking for sustainable funding. We need to set up regular fundraising campaigns and are currently working with a non-profit distributor in the USA to raise funds for our work.

FoG What are your plans for the future?

Nadeem:We want to build a proper hospital on a larger plot of land according to international standards. We are currently working in our house. We need to relocate the hospital to another site, with standardized enclosures and facilities. That is our long-term goal, but that will take time. Currently, we are trying to get an ambulance for birds and an X-ray machine.

Saud:We also need a blood pressure monitor.

Nadeem: Yes, so that we can improve our diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Currently, we have to rely on our sense of touch to detect fractures.

FoG What is the city doing against pollution?

Nadeem: The government is working on the issue of pollution, but the problem is severe. Air quality has improved compared to a few years ago, but it is still poor. During filming, pollution once reached 9,999 µg/m³, which is the upper limit of the measuring device. Today, air quality is around 500 µg/m³, which we now consider „clean air.“ (Values above 200 µg/m³ are considered harmful to health. Editor's note)

FoG Thank you for your time!

Nadeem and Saud: Thank you very much!

The conversation was conducted by Anna Faroqhi and Haim Peretz on August 29, 2024, between Berlin and New Delhi.