Oscar to ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ gives a fillip to India’s documentary scene
"The Elephant Whisperers" features stunning visuals of nature in Tamil Nadu and tells the story of the special bond between elephants and their handlers.
The film “The Elephant Whisperers” by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga won India’s first Oscar award in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. During her acceptance speech, Gonsalves expressed her gratitude to the Academy for recognizing the film, to Netflix for believing in its power, and to her team and mentors. She dedicated the win to her motherland, India, and spoke about the importance of respecting indigenous communities, having empathy towards living beings, and promoting coexistence. The other nominees in the category were “Haulout,” “How Do You Measure a Year?,” “The Martha Mitchell Effect,” and “Stranger at the Gate.”
“The Elephant Whisperers” features stunning visuals of nature in Tamil Nadu and tells the story of the special bond between elephants and their handlers. The film’s focus on highlighting the sacred wisdom of indigenous people and animals was praised by Gonsalves in her acceptance speech.
This short documentary film, which has a running time of 41 minutes, explores the delicate yet significant relationship between an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu and his caretakers, a mahout couple named Bomman and Bellie. The couple is dedicated to protecting Raghu from poachers and raising him as their own. The film marks the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves, who previously had a successful career as a wildlife and social documentary photographer, photojournalist, and cinematographer. Gonsalves left her comfortable job to pursue her passion for filmmaking with this project.
In a previous interview, Guneet provided some details about the film, describing it as “the story of people who have been working with elephants for generations and who are deeply aware of the needs of the jungle.” She also mentioned a poignant scene in the film that highlights the importance of taking only what is needed from the jungle and respecting the animals that call it home.
Guneet Monga, who produced the film, had previously served as an executive producer on the 2019 Academy Award-winning documentary short film, “Period. End of Sentence.”
