Python around actor's neck puts Japanese film crew in trouble

Varanasi, July 14 (UNI) A Japanese film crew shooting a documentary on the world famous Ganga Ghats here could well be in for trouble with the State Forest Department contemplating action against them and their hosts for filming with a live python yesterday.

The 20-member film crew shot many sequences on Pandey, Ahilyabai and Dashwashamedh ghats, including a Japanese actor playing cricket with children of riverine localities and another actor facing the camera while wrapping a live python around her neck.

''This certainly amounts to the violation of provisions of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, whose Schedule I (Part II) lists python as a rare and endangered reptile which is to be provided complete protection. Anyone keeping the python in captivity or displaying it in public is bound to face legal action under the relevant provisions of the Act,'' Divisional Forest Officer (Kashi Vanya Prabhag) Alok Kumar Srivastava said here today.

''We will soon send a team to gather facts about the entire episode to be followed by appropriate action against those responsible for keeping the python in captivity and displaying the reptile before the camera,'' he added.

Reacting sharply about the Japanese team using a live python during the shooting of the documentary, President of Indian Science Writers Association (Uttar Pradesh Chapter) Arvind Mishra said ''use of a critically endangered reptile for commercial gains should be dealt seriously by wildlife authorities.'' ''The Japanese film crew by displaying the python on camera for commercial gains has not only violated provisions of the Indian wildlife law, but also proved that despite rapid progress made by our country, film-makers from other nations want to present India as a backward nation of snake-charmers,'' Dr Mishra alleged.

Meanwhile, coordinator of the film crew Y C Khanna said ''since July 12 last a documentary is being shot by the team from Japan, which deals with the visit of a Japanese travel writer to Varanasi.

The crew will shoot the documentary for a few more days here.'' He, however, expressed ignorance about ''how a live python was procured for the documentary shooting.'' Locales associated with the shooting, however, disclosed that the python was procured from a local snake-charmer at the insistence of the Japanese crew.

Last year during the campaigning for civic body elections in the city, a candidate for the post of municipal corporator had also indulged in similar practice by soliciting votes while wrapping a live python around his neck.

Taking swift note of the episode a criminal case was registered against the candidate, concerned but the live python could not be recovered by the Forest Department team.

UNI