Dia Mirza-voiced documentary ‘The Hornbill Promise’ looks at Latpanchar’s rufous-necked hornbills

Safique Hazarika and Vinod K Reddy, directors of The Hornbill Promise, an upcoming wildlife documentary, talk about the making of this film

Published - September 23, 2026 03:47 pm IST

‘The Hornbill Promise’ tells the story of Tara and Tenzing, a pair of rare rufous-necked hornbills | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

From a distance, the rugged slopes of the Eastern Himalaya look pristine: mist-swathed, gelid-peaked and canopy-covered. But the moment you get closer or focus through a long lens, you cannot help but see humans everywhere, says wildlife photographer Safique Hazarika, who firmly believes that “unless humans emotionally or spiritually integrate with Nature, saving Nature will be difficult.”

This premise lies at the core of The Hornbill Promise, an upcoming wildlife documentary from Wildora Film , a Hyderabad-based production house focused on the natural world. Set in Latpanchar, West Bengal, in the Eastern Himalaya, the film tells the story of Tara and Tenzing, a pair of rare rufous-necked hornbills, capturing both their relationship as well as the people who inhabit the region. “Blending intimate wildlife behaviour, scientific insight, and local wisdom, The Hornbill Promise celebrates India’s natural and cultural heritage, revealing how sacred belief becomes conservation in action, and how love, trust, and coexistence can inspire the world to live in harmony with Nature,” states the synopsis of the film.

Those fascinating hornbills

A genetic blueprint for saving Asia’s iconic hornbills

Safique, who co-directed and co-produced the film with Vinod K Reddy, says the idea emerged from a trip to Latpanchar a couple of years ago. “I always wanted to photograph the rufous-necked hornbills because they are so exotic, beautiful and unusual-looking,” he says. Additionally, they carry deep spiritual meaning in many cultures and exhibit a range of fascinating behaviours. For instance, “they partner for life,” says Safique, an ardent wildlife photographer with over 17 years of experience.

The film poster | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Seeing these “captivating” birds and talking to locals in the area got him thinking this was an important story to tell, one that needed film, not just photography, to do it justice. “I wanted to document the behaviours and what the villagers were telling me. So, I came back and told Vinod that we should go and capture this very emotional story, one in which wildlife and humans who live together are thriving,” he says.

They spent the next two-and-a-half years shooting this 45-minute-long film, which is currently in production and will be out in February 2027. A 10-minute short and the trailer have already been released. “The entire journey was back-breaking,” laughs Safique, recalling the challenges of shooting at a 7,000-foot altitude, including trekking many kilometres to reach the hornbills, grappling with leeches and rain, and waiting interminably to spot interesting behaviours. “It was very difficult, but we were convinced that we were going to get a life cycle. And we needed that to tell an inspiring story,” he says.

According to Vinod, this is the first time the bird’s entire life cycle has been documented on film, which delves into many fascinating aspects of nesting and social behaviour. “We saw a hornbill, who was not the biological father of the chick, come to protect it when it left the nest. He even fed it,” he recalls.

A film still | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Another key aspect of the film is how watching hornbills allows sustainable tourism to flourish. “The upper part of many homes in Latpanchar has been converted into a homestay,” says Safique. This way, tourism money flows back to local people, who also get gigs as drivers or guides because of bird tourism. “They are earning money because they are protecting the hornbill.”

The film, which doesn’t just chronicle the lifecycle of these birds but also features interviews with locals and experts, has been voiced over by Dia Mirza. “She is already an advocate for Nature and wildlife, and is also the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) ambassador,” says Safique, admitting it was also a stylistic choice. “We also needed a very powerful female voice, since our female hornbill is a very strong character… the main character of this film.”

The duo firmly believes that creating a narrative that centres on a single pair of hornbills, almost anthropomorphising them, will help people care more about this bird. “We wanted to train people’s minds to want to have this species around forever. Science often vanishes, but feeling stays,” says Safique, while Vinod adds, “This is not a wildlife story, but a life story, with many examples in it that will connect to the human being.” Given that the film covers the full gamut of human emotions, he says people will likely find at least one thing that touches them. “Even that can make a huge difference in their life.”