The team of The Elephant Whisperers made history by winning Best Documentary Short Subject at the 95th Academy Awards on Monday (IST). The documentary has been directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga. With this, The Elephant Whisperers has become the first Indian film to win an Oscar in this category. It is also the third to be nominated after The House That Ananda Built (1969) and An Encounter With Faces (1979) in the same category. Needless to say, Indians across the world are celebrating this historic moment. Priyanka Chopra, one of India's biggest Bollywood stars to cement her place in Hollywood, has also celebrated the win. Sharing a clip of The Elephant Whisperers team walking up to the stage to accept their award, Priyanka Chopra said, “Yaaaaaay! Gooo @elephantwhisperermovie @guneetmonga @kartikigonsalves.”
Take a look:
Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt too celebrated the win with a special message on social media. Resharing Guneet Monga's post of the winning moment, Alia Bhatt said, “Uff what a visual. Historic! Congratulations @guneetmonga and the whole team!! @theelephantwhisperers."
In her post celebrating the win, Guneet Monga thanked her team and asked women across the world to believe in their dreams. She said, “Tonight is historic as this is the first-ever Oscar for an Indian production. India's Glory with 2 women. Thank you Mom Dad Guruji Shukrana. To my Co-Producer Achin Jain, Team Sikhya, Netlflix, Aloke, Sarafina, WME Bash Sanjana. My lovely Husband Sunny. Happy 3 months anniversary baby! Kartiki for bringing & weaving this story. To all the women watching…The future is audacious and the future is here. Let's go! Jai hind.”
The Elephant Whisperers is a documentary that follows the story of Raghu, an orphaned elephant calf under the care of Bomman and Belli, an indigenous couple residing in Mudumalai National Park. Through the film, viewers are invited to appreciate the profound relationship that develops between Raghu and his caretakers and to revel in the stunning natural beauty of their environment. The Elephant Whisperers made its debut on Netflix in December 2022.