This article looks at 'Batman and the Baavali', a new documentary by Roundglass Sustain, led by bat conservationist Rohit Chakravarty, which explores the hidden world of bats in urban Bengaluru. Tracking species like woolly-nosed bats and short-nosed fruit bats, the film reveals how these creatures adapt to city environments, roosting in trees, old buildings, and along lakes.
As Bengaluru winds down at sunset, and its parks and lakes come alive with people out on their evening walks, a more nocturnal species gets ready to start their day. In a city of more than 12 million people, Bengaluru’s skyline and parks are shared with colonies of bats that coexist quietly alongside human life. It’s this overlooked coexistence that forms the heart of 'Batman and the Baavali', a new documentary by Roundglass Sustain, led by bat conservationist Rohit Chakravarty.
Rohit begins his investigation from familiar outdoor terrain and shifts into the heart of India’s burgeoning city, tracking species such as woolly-nosed bats, pipistrelles and short-nosed fruit bats. He explains how an everyday tree, such as a Singapore cherry or the dried fronds of a coconut trunk can serve as a favourable roosting site even amidst dense residential housing. His observations underscore a key finding of the film: bats are not just remnants of wild forests but active residents of the urban built environment.
The documentary charts how these mammals make use of older neighbourhoods, vacant buildings, fruiting trees and water bodies — resources well within the city’s fabric. One standout scene shows hundreds of bats flying down to drink from the lake within the city limits at dusk before dispersing into the darkness. This sequence quietly anchors the film’s argument: urban nature is alive, even if often unnoticed. In the film, Rohit also uses bat-detectors to pick up ultrasonic calls and distinguish species against a backdrop of city noise and interference. The soundtrack reflects this focus and is composed entirely of bat echolocation calls; a reminder that much of the world of bats unfolds beyond our visible perception.
The highlight of the documentary lies in its juxtaposition of a city’s everyday life and an unexpected wildlife community that thrives unseen. The film invites reflection on how these bat populations coexist with, and sometimes adapt to the changes of the city itself, rather than being isolated victims of it, and offers a grounded, evidence-rich glimpse of urban bat ecology within an Indian metropolis.
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