Taira Malaney spent nine years documenting sea turtle conservationist Satish Bhaskar's life

A still from ‘Turtle Walker’

While some take a lifetime to realise their dreams, Satish Bhaskar, the pioneering Indian marine biologist and sea turtle conservationist known as the Turtle Man, found his calling early. Director Taira Malaney spent nine years documenting his life and work for Turtle Walker, part of Discovery+'s India: Epic Wild Stories anthology by Animal Planet.

"I was spending a significant amount of time in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the film is set, and had been hearing a lot of stories about Satish Bhaskar," says Malaney. Her curiosity grew when she realised that children living alongside some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs knew little about the marine life around them.

Satish Bhaskar

An article on Bhaskar by Romulus Earl Whitaker, an herpetologist and wildlife conservationist, further piqued her interest. "The article had these beautiful stories that were passed on from researcher to researcher, and people in the community who knew of Satish. But his story was nowhere in the public domain. That fascinated me," she shares.

Producers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Productions came on board much later. "It was a rough cut of whatever footage they had shot and seen. When I watched it, I was blown away. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe that I had never heard of this gentleman and what he had done. I don't think there was even a question for Reema and me about whether we should do it or not. It was something we both reacted to emotionally," says Akhtar.

Reema Kagti

Malaney spent several weeks on the islands during each nesting season. Building a relationship with Bhaskar took time. "Initially, it was about just spending time together. We did a lot of research interviews in the first few years. During that time, we built a relationship, got to know each other, and developed trust. When we finally sat down to do that long interview, it took place over two weeks," she says. Originally released in 2024, Turtle Walker has travelled to 100 community screenings and nearly 80 film festivals.

Taira Malaney and Zoya Akhtar

The bigger picture

"The response to ‘Turtle Walker' has been a great reminder of why stories like these matter," says Sai Abishek, Head of Factual Entertainment, Lifestyle & Kids, South Asia, Skydance. "It has been gratifying to see the documentary resonate with audiences, who have appreciated its filmmaking, storytelling, conservation message, and emotional connection with Satish Bhaskar's journey. We began the series with ‘Shared Spaces', in July, followed by ‘Wild Kashmir', and ‘My Otter Diary'. The India-focused wildlife proposition will continue in the coming months"

Two
Number of years the team has travelled with the film