Director Prabhu Solomon earlier said his latest film, Aranya (also known as Kaadan, Haathi Mere Saathi) will light the fuse of a revolution. He hopes that this film would bring awareness about deforestation, the role wild animals play in maintaining the ecological balance, and the sacred duty of human civilization to protect the wildlife.

Prabhu Solomon was inspired by the life of environmental activist Jadav Payeng, who is known as the forest man of India. The idea to make Aranya, however, came from a news item. He found out that a wall has been built at a reserved forest area in Assam’s Kaziranga, cutting off a wildlife corridor that was used by a herd of elephants. “That wall has orphaned about 30 elephants. Now, who will fight for the rights of these elephants? When we have a problem, we all come together and we sit-in protest at the beach, but to whom these elephants will turn to when they have a problem,” asked Prabhu earlier, while talking about the film.

Prabhu also pointed out the population of elephants in India is decreasing at an alarming rate. Pointing towards human-animal conflict, he suggested that it is imperative that people learn to live with nature, instead of disrupting it. In fact, he had revealed that after watching the film, his sound designer Resul Pookutty suggested that this film should be screened at the United Nations.

Prabhu has professed his love for jungles in almost every film that came out before Aranya. Here are films by Prabhu Solomon, where he explored the relationship between humans, nature and animals:

Mynaa

Set in the backdrop of a deep forest, the film tells the tale of star-crossed lovers. The film realistically captures the lifestyle of people living in mountains, cut off from all the comforts that most of us take for granted. The 2010 film made Thambi Ramaiah an overnight sensation.

Kumki

The film follows the relationship between an elephant and its mahouts. It marked the acting debut of Vikram Prabhu. It also throws light on the lives of tribal people, their culture, lifestyle and beliefs. While researching for this film, Prabhu Solomon discovered a lot of information that led to the making of Aranya.

Kayal

Again, set against the lush green backdrop, the film is a romantic drama. However, it also makes passing references to global warming and climate change. The highlight of this film is the way Prabhu has shot the destruction caused by tsunami, which is inspired by the 2004 catastrophe that left a massive trail of destruction in and around Tamil Nadu.