The Netflix documentary directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, The Elephant Whisperers, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short category at the 95th Academy Awards. The Oscar win by the team became more significant as it was the first-ever Oscar award won by an Indian production.
The Elephant Whisperers competed against documentaries like Haulout, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Stranger At The Gate and How Do You Measure A Year? Upon receiving the award, director Kartiki Gonsalves dedicated the award to her Motherland, India. It is also the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves.
The documentary The Elephant Whisperers was produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain. After receiving the prestigious award, producer Guneet Monga posted on Instagram that the win was historic for the team as it was the first-ever Academy Award won by an Indian production.
Guneet Monga was also the executive producer of the Period. End of Sentence, the documentary short film that won the Best Documentary Short Film Award at the 2019 Academy Awards.
In her acceptance speech, director Gonsalves stressed the topic of co-existence and stated that she wanted to speak for and about the sacred bond shared between humans and the natural world, about the empathy shown towards other living beings that we humans share our space with, and also the respect of indigenous communities.
She also mentioned the indigenous couple Bomman and Belli for sharing their sacred tribal wisdom. Gonsalves ended her speech by thanking and expressing her love for her Motherland, India.
The documentary had its world premiere at DOC NYC Film Festival on November 9, 2022. Following the premiere, the documentary was released on Netflix globally on December 8, 2022.
The project received positive responses from everywhere and was highly appreciated for its portrayal of emotions, the beautiful bond shared by humans, animals, and nature, and also the beautiful visuals of nature.
The 41-minute-long documentary, The Elephant Whisperers revolves around the story of a beautiful bond shared by an elephant named Raghu and an elderly indigenous couple named Bomman and Belli.
The couple who are entrusted with the orphaned baby elephant takes care of Raghu in all ways they can and Gonsalves depicted the bond they share in a commendable way. The old couple endures many risks and sacrifices to make sure that the injured orphan baby elephant grows up to be a healthy one.
The Elephant Whisperers is set in Mudumalai National Park which is located in the Nilgiri mountains of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. One of the most notable elements of the documentary is its picturesque locations.
The director made sure that the beauty of the location was not lost in her work and she succeeded in letting people see the real beauty of the location. The film also features the life of the tribals who live in the area. The documentary sheds light on the harmonious life shared between the indigenous tribes and nature.
In an interview that Gonsalves had with a popular Indian media house, she stated that she followed the story of Raghu, the elephant for almost five years before she could complete it.
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There is almost 450 hours long footage of Rahgu with Gonsalves that she shot during her time with the elephant. She said that there were hours of visuals like Raghu playing, bathing, and eating food but in order to capture the actual intimate moments between the elephant and his caretakers, it required patience.
As for Guneet Monga, the producer of The Elephant Whisperers, this is not the first time that she has been a part of an Academy Award-winning project. Monga worked as one of the executive producers for the 2018 documentary short film Period. End of Sentence.
The short film discussed the issue of sanitary napkins and how the women of Kathikera village in India found a solution to their issue by empowering each other. The short film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short film at the 2019 event.
For Monga, The Elephant Whisperers is a symbol of one of the hardest and most selfless jobs in the world -caregiving. She says that the job takes a great deal of patience and warmth. She is very much fascinated by the bond shared between the indigenous people and nature.
In the documentary, Bomman bathes Raghu and he also bathes in the same pond. Belli, Bomman’s wife, feeds Raghu with her hands, just as if he was her baby. Monga believes that the unity and perseverance of the couple had a huge role to play in healing the elephant.
She strongly hopes that in the story of Raghu, Bomman, and Belli, people become more able to love themselves a little more, their environment, the communities around them, and also the living beings that coexist with us.
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