PETA complains against death of horse on sets of Mani Ratnam period drama

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has sought an inquiry in connection with the death of a horse here allegedly during the shooting of filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s Tamil historical drama Ponniyin Selvan , according to People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

A police official in Hyderabad on Thursday said they registered a case after a volunteer of PETA India, on 18 August, filed a complaint stating that a horse died during the shooting of the movie at a private land near a film studio here on 11 August.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the management of production house Madras Talkies and the owner of the horse under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act and the Indian Penal Code, they said.

The police official attached to Abdullapurmet police station said a veterinarian conducted a post mortem, and a report is still awaited.

Following a complaint from PETA India based on whistleblower reports regarding the incident, the AWBI wrote to the Hyderabad District Collector and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board to conduct an inquiry into the death, a release from PETA said.

According to the complaint received by them from a whistleblower, several horses were continuously used for hours at the film set due to which the animals were tired and dehydrated. The carcass was buried on the same ground.

“In the age of computer-generated imagery (CGI), production companies have no excuse for forcing exhausted horses to play at war until one of them drops dead,” said PETA India Chief Advocacy Officer Khushboo Gupta. “Compassionate, forward-thinking filmmakers would never dream of hauling sensitive animals to a chaotic movie set, and forcing them to ‘act.’ PETA India is calling on director Mani Ratnam to cut the cruelty, and switch to modern and humane CGI and other visual-effects technology,” the PETA release further said.