Entertainment
Ricky Kej’s 34-track soundtrack takes Wild Tamil Nadu to the Green Oscars
Three-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej has another international milestone to his growing body of work. Wild Tamil Nadu, the wildlife documentary featuring his original score, has been nominated in the Sustainability Award category at the Wildscreen Panda Awards 2026, widely regarded as the highest honour in wildlife and natural history filmmaking.
Often referred to as the “Green Oscars”, the Wildscreen Panda Awards recognise films that combine compelling movies with excellence in cinematography, sound, music and conservation messaging. This year’s nomination places Wild Tamil Nadu alongside some of the world’s most celebrated productions.
Directed by acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Kalyan Varma and narrated by actor Arvind Swamy, Wild Tamil Nadu takes viewers across the state’s diverse landscapes, from ancient forests and mist-covered mountains to mangroves, grasslands and coastlines, revealing rarely seen wildlife behaviour while exploring the deep connection between nature and culture. The film is produced by the CSR initiative of Sundram Fasteners Ltd., in association with Nature inFocus, with support from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
At the heart of the documentary is Kej’s 34-track original score, inspired by ancient Sangam literature. Rather than providing a mere soundtrack to the visuals, the music draws on Tamil Nadu’s literary and cultural heritage. It combines orchestral arrangements with indigenous musical influences to evoke the vibe, biodiversity and emotional landscape of the region.
For Kej, who has always mixed music with environmental stories, the nomination is an acknowledgement of a career built on using sound to deepen conversations about conservation. From Wild Karnataka to Wild Tamil Nadu, the composer has emerged as the musical voice of India’s natural history films, creating scores that enhance wildlife stories without overwhelming them.
*Kej is also the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Goodwill Ambassador and has been working for years to promote sustainability through music. Earlier this week, he represented the United Nations at the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists Exchange Event in Inner Mongolia, China, where he called for increased global cooperation on land restoration and climate resilience.*
Talking about it, Kej said, “Wild Tamil Nadu was a labour of love for everyone involved. Composing the score meant immersing myself in the state’s incredible heritage. To see the film recognised by the Wildscreen Panda Awards is a proud moment, not just for us as filmmakers, but for Indian wildlife storytelling on the global stage. Wildlife films have the power to make people fall in love with places they may never visit. As a composer, my role is to deepen that emotional connection between man and nature. Wild Tamil Nadu is a celebration of one of India’s richest ecosystems, and I’m honoured that the music has contributed to the film’s journey. To be recognised by the Wildscreen Panda Awards, among the world’s finest wildlife productions, is incredibly humbling.”
