Guneet Monga celebrates 'the victory of Indian documentary filmmaking' 1 year after Oscar win for The Elephant Whisperers | Watch BTS video

Producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves made us proud when they won an Oscar for their short film, The Elephant Whisperers, in 2023. It has been exactly a year since the glitzy event and Guneet relived the memories of her career-defining night by sharing a BTS video from the March 12, 2023, Oscar ceremony.

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Guneet Monga's BTS Oscar video

Taking to her Instagram handle, Guneet posted a BTS video to mark one year since winning an Oscar with Kartiki Gonsalves for The Elephant Whisperers. The video starts with Elizabeth Olsen and Pedro Pascal announcing the nominations for Best Documentary Short Film. Then, you get to see Guneet reveal that her mama (uncle) took a screenshot of the nominations and assumed that the two of them had already won.

The video then cuts to Guneet holding the Oscar, along with Bomman and Bellie, the subjects of her documentary film The Elephant Whisperers.  It also features glimpses of Kartiki and Guneet’s acceptance speeches, in which Kartiki says, “Thank you to the academy for recognising our film, highlighting indigenous people and animals.”

Guneet says that Kartiki started this journey five years ago and she did not wait for anybody, adding that this (The Elephant Whisperers) is India’s first ever film to win an Oscar.

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Guneet captioned the post, “A year ago, today, on 12th March 2023, a once orphaned elephant, Raghu, along with his caretakers, Bomman and Bellie, won hearts globally and brought home, India’s first Oscar for an Indian production. We’re truly grateful to director Kartiki Gonsalves, for introducing us to the world of Raghu, and also giving us a glimpse into the mesmerising Mudumalai Reserve, and its community of elephant whisperers - telling us a tale of a sacred bond shared between humans and animals. A year later, we look back at this glorious win, and celebrate the victory of Kartiki, Raghu, Ammu, Bomman, Bellie and Team The Elephant Whisperers and the victory of Indian documentary filmmaking.”

Helmed by Kartiki Gonsalves, The Elephant Whisperers was released in 2022. It is about the lives of two elephant caretakers, Bomman and Bellie, in the Mudumalai Reserve.