Acclaimed actress Jaya Ahsan has voiced serious concern over the practice of filming in forest areas following a recent wild elephant attack that disrupted the shooting of the film Shapla Shaluk in Sherpur’s Nalitabari, near the Indian border.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Jaya shared a news headline about the incident and questioned the lack of regulation surrounding such activities. “Can anyone just enter the forest and begin ‘lights, camera, action’ whenever they feel like it?” she wrote, directing her appeal to the Forest Department.
She also criticized the environmental insensitivity of shooting in ecologically fragile zones, citing issues such as noise from microphones, waste from crew members, and disruption caused by music. Her remarks came after a herd of wild elephants damaged the film’s set, injuring several cast and crew members who fled during the unexpected encounter.
The film, directed by Rasheda Akter Lajuk and starring Shobnom Bubly and Shajal Noor, is being shot in the Garo Hills—an area known for frequent elephant sightings. The crew has since installed lights around the set as a safety measure.
Jaya’s post has sparked significant online discussion, with many social media users supporting her stance and calling for stricter oversight of filming in wildlife habitats to protect both nature and human lives.
