Mike Pandey

Who is Mike Pandey?

Mike Pandey is an Indian film maker specialising in films about wildlife and the environment. He has won over 300 awards for his work to spread awareness about biodiversity and species conservation, including helping conserve and protect key species such as whale sharks, elephants, tigers, vultures and horseshoe crabs. Born in Kenya, the Nairobi National Park, which was at the back of the Pandey household proved a rich source of inspiration for both Mike and his brother Ishwar. Mike’s adventures with the camera started when he was barely seven when an uncle presented him a Kodak Browning Box camera on his birthday. He still owns this heirloom. Trained and educated in the UK and US the brothers experiences have been wide and varied from training in Hollywood, USA as interns, to Director of special effects and war scenes in films like Razia Sultan, Betaab, Gazab etc. in India. But the call of the wild was strong and Mike’s passion and care for the natural world pulled him back to Indian wildlife.

In 1994, he became the first Asian producer / director to win the Wildscreen Panda Award, also known as the Green Oscar, for his film The Last Migration - Wild Elephant Capture in Surguja.