Guneet Monga wins her second Oscar with ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. 5 points

The Elephant Whisperers: All you need to know about India’s win at Oscar 2023

The plot of documentary revolves around a family who adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

“The Elephant Whisperers” depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephants and their caretakers. It is produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment.

Oscar LIVE: India’s ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ wins Best Documentary Short Film

“The Elephant Whisperers is an emotionally enriching and ‘jumbo sized’ tale which succeeds in being an example of unconditional love,” Guneet wrote in an Instagram post

Taking to Twitter, producer Guneet shared her reaction and wrote, “We just win the first ever Oscar for an Indian Production! Two women did this! I am still shivering.”

Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, the Netflix documentary bested “Haulout”, “How Do You Measure a Year?”, “The Martha Mitchell Effect” and “Stranger at the Gate” to scoop the trophy.

“I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share space with and finally, for coexistence,” director Kartiki Gonsalves said in her acceptance speech.

The Elephant Whisperers: As told by Guneet Monga

Caregiving is the hardest and most selfless job in the world. It requires a stupendous amount of patience and warmth to be able to tend to someone who cannot tend to themselves. Caregivers know no boundaries.

The indigenous communities hold a strong bond with our environment and the creatures with whom we share it. There is much to be learned from this way of life and from their beliefs. Bommon and Bellie solely became a part of Raghu’s life, dropping everything only to nurture and heal one orphaned elephant.

In Kartiki Gonsalves’ documentary short ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, Bomman bathes Raghu while he bathes in the same pond. Bellie feeds Raghu with her hands much like she’d feed her own child. It was their unity, and perseverance, that healed Raghu. And in that, they became a family.

We truly hope that through this extraordinary story of Bommon, Bellie and Raghu, we are able to discover new ways of finding love within ourselves, our communities, our environment and the creatures that co-exist. The Elephant Whisperers hopes to pave the way for more Raghus to find a chosen family and brave through adversities.