Makers of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, on their Oscar win and the triumph of Indian non-fiction

The duo behind ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ talks ing about their historic win at the 95th Academy Awards and the roadmap for documentary filmmaking in India

After she was unceremoniously played off at the 95th Academy Awards — where The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short Film — producer Guneet Monga turned back to the rostrum and yelled out, “This is India’s first film to win an Oscar!” It was a thrilling moment, for obvious reasons, yet entirely of a piece with Guneet, whose tenacity and ferociousness as a film champion are well known.

“We were always told we will only get 45 seconds,” Guneet says, looking back at the strange, bittersweet moment that marked her win. She was happy that Kartiki Gonsalves, the film’s director and co-winner of the award, got to read out her speech in full, shining a light on conservation, ecological co-existence and the rights of indigenous communities. But she would have still liked to say a few words herself.

“It came as a shock and a surprise. It’s a mixed feeling,” Guneet shares. When she shouted out her line, she could catch, from the corner of her eye, Riz Ahmed, Ava DuVernay and Malala Yousafzai cheering in the audience. “The win and the support definitely surpassed everything. Kartiki and I have won our Oscars in our thirties. I am sure there will be many more occasions and more speeches.”

The Elephant Whisperers is a warm, spirited, life-affirming documentary. Set in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp inside the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, it follows the lives of Bomman and Bellie, a tribal couple who nourish and care for two baby elephants, combing their hair, feeding them water and coconut mash, even gently admonishing them — as parents do — at signs of truancy.

The 41-minute film was one of two wins for India at the 2023 Oscars; ‘Naatu Naatu’ from SS Rajamouli’s RRR won Best Original Song. A second documentary, the feature-length All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen and also pivoted on human-animal relationships, was nominated but did not win.

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Collectively, it was a major year for Indians and South Asians at the Oscars (the ‘Naatu ‘Naatu’ live rendition row notwithstanding). Kartiki was stationed in LA for four months; Guneet joined her a month before the ceremony. The campaigning process was long and unforgiving, but a sense of camaraderie with the other nominees and support from the community saw them through.