The Elephant Whisperers

Oscars 2023: 'The Elephant Whisperers' impresses jury, wins Best Documentary Short Film · 'The Elephant Whisperers'​ is about the bond between abandoned ...

One of the most heartwarming documentaries I've watched recently...loved it! The ‘Barfi’ star took to Instagram to gush about the movie. Many A-list celebrities across the world turned out to be ardent admirers of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. A labour of love, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ took five years to be made. [Oscar](/topic/oscar)jury couldn't either. The Kartiki Gonsalves-directorial ' [The Elephant Whisperers](/topic/the-elephant-whisperers)' bagged an award in the Best Documentary Short category.

New Delhi: The best places to check out for which way the mood is swinging at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or just the Academy, ...

“Predicting the shorts is always very unpredictable, but this year is in overdrive,” ‘Variety’ notes. “The divas (in other words, Rihanna and Lady Gaga) don’t have much of a chance against ‘RRR’ and its joyous dance,” LAT proclaims. And both have given their votes in favour of “Naatu Naatu”, the M.M.

The Elephant Whisperers made history by becoming the first Indian documentary to win an Oscar. It won Best Documentary Short film at the 95th Academy Awards ...

The Elephant Whisperers is the first Indian film to win an Oscar in this category. "You guys made India proud," wrote one user. India's Glory with 2 women."

I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world,” Kartiki Gonsalves said.

The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, has won Best Documentary Short Subject at the 95th Academy Awards.

The Elephant Whisperers is the first Indian film to win an Oscar in this category and the third to be nominated after The House That Ananda Built and An Encounter With Faces which competed for Best Documentary Short in 1969 and 1979 respectively. [India is having an Oscar moment this year](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/rrr-at-oscars-2023-naatu-naatu-supremacy-blockbuster-hit-wins-best-original-song-3855527) - in addition to The Elephant Whisperers, the globally viral Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli's blockbuster RRR won the Best Original Song, and filmmaker Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, which was won by Navalny. ](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oscars-2023-live-updates-rrr-deepika-padukone-at-hollywoods-biggest-awards-3855384)The other four nominees in the category were Haulout, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Stranger At The Gate, and How Do You Measure A Year?

Helmed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, The Elephant Whisperers won the 2023 Oscar under the Best Documentary Short Film.

While this is Gonsalves’ first win at the Oscars, Monga has had an experience of this thrill in 2020 when the film Period. The Elephant Whisperers has won the 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film and it is a proud moment for Indians. The

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga's Netflix documentary short, The Elephant Whisperers, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short category at the 95th.

Earlier, speaking to The Indian Express, Gonsalves had shared a little about the making of the short and said, “I followed Raghu’s story for five years, and had about 450 hours of footage. But you need to be patient (with something like this), and you get scenes like the one where Bellie tells Ammu to sit down next to her. The film was competing against Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect and Stranger At The Gate.

The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, just won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film.

End Of Sentence won an Academy Award as she was one of the producers of this short documentary back then. The Elephant Whisperers captures the heartfelt story of a mahout couple – Bomman and Bellie and their inexplicable bond with an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu. The Elephant Whisperers has won the 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film and it is a proud moment for Indians.

'The Elephant Whisperers' wins the 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary Short, handing honor to Indian filmmakers Kartiki Gonsalves and Gunnel Monga.

In his opening monologue, Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel noted that in last year’s ceremony several awards, including Best Documentary Short, were shunted to a pre-show and didn’t air live (truncated versions were inserted into the telecast). End of Sentence., directed by Rayka Zehtabchi and produced by Melissa Berton. and to Douglas Blush, my mentor, and my entire team. But, ironically, show producers still managed to cut off Monga’s acceptance speech. The late Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray earned an honorary Academy Award over 30 years ago. To Guneet, my producer…

Meet the director behind the Oscar winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers'. Here's all you need to know about Kartiki Gonsalves.

And while Gonsalves is in the pursuit to make an impact on environmental and cultural issues through her work, she is also focussing her attention on bringing solutions to the existing challenges with her projects. Having grown up in the Nilgiris, Kartiki Gonsalves describes herself as a traveller and explorer. Much of it also came from her experience as a social documentary photojournalist and filmmaker.

A historic night for Indian cinema at the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

“Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature,” he wrote. “I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world,” she said. “The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. Television images showed people dancing to the song in the streets, minutes after the award was announced, as #NaatuNaatu became a top trend on Twitter. “Entire India is proud. THANK YOU!!,” the Twitter account for RRR posted.

I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world,” Kartiki Gonsalves said.

It was also nominated for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for its musical score, which was composed by Sven Faulconer. - The documentary shows the lives of Bomman and Bellie, two Indigenous people entrusted with the care of two orphaned baby elephants, Raghu and Ammu. - The documentary was shortlisted for Doc NYC and nominated for the 2022 IDA Documentary Awards.

The Elephant Whisperers: One of the biggest movie awards ceremonies comes to an end with India winning two awards at the 95th Academy Awards.

The couple and the elephant form an unbreakable bond. The documentary is about the bond that develops between a couple and an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu, who was entrusted to their care. The documentary is available to watch on Netflix. The future is audacious and the future is here. Here's everything you need to know about the movie and where to watch it online. Guneet, who recently got married to Sunny Kapoor, took to Instagram to express gratitude for the historic win for India and wrote in the caption, "Tonight is historic as this is the first-ever Oscar for an Indian production" and said, "India’s Glory with 2 women.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan congratulated SS Rajamouli's RRR and Guneet Monga's The Elephant Whisperers and their teams after they made India proud at Oscars 2023.

“Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist and the entire team for this prestigious honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. The Elephant Whisperers is directed by debutante Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga. Its song Naatu Naatu became a global sensation featuring Ram Charan and Jr NTR in a dance off with a group of Britishers in the film. The 95th Academy Awards took place at Los Angeles' Dolby Theater on March 12. While [RRR's ](https://www.hindustantimes.com/topic/rrr)song Naatu Naatu won the Best Original Song award, The Elephant Whisperers took home the trophy for Best Documentary Short Film. The Pathaan actor tweeted, “Big hug to @guneetm & @EarthSpectrum for Elephant Whisperers. [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.hindustantimes.com/topic/shah-rukh-khan) took to Twitter and congratulated the teams of RRR and The Elephant Whisperers after their historic wins at the Oscars 2023. And @mmkeeravaani #ChandraBose ji @ssrajamouli @AlwaysRamCharan @tarak9999 thank u for showing us all, the way to do it. The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. Also read: [SS Rajamouli and RRR Team sat in the last row during Oscars ceremony, fans call it a 'disgrace'](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/telugu-cinema/ss-rajamouli-and-rrr-team-sat-in-the-last-row-during-oscars-ceremony-fans-call-it-a-disgrace-101678695201349.html)

Elephant Whisperers” is based on the bond Mahout Bomman and his wife Bellie developed for the injured baby elephant Raghu they looked after | Latest News ...

We cared for them like our children and we have to let them go if they are sent to someone else.” We went in search of them yesterday [Sunday] and it looks like they have gone into the forest looking for their mothers,” said Bomman. It shows the couple first taking care of Raghu and later three-month-old elephant Ammu. “We have to do something for Raghu and Ammu once I get back...I miss them, but what can I do? The documentary shows the couple’s care for Raghu after it gets separated from its herd in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai. So that means a lot to us.”

'The Elephant Whisperers' won an “Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film” at the 95th Academy Awards, Pedro Pascal presented the award.

At the 95th Academy Awards, the smash hit beat out Lady Gaga and Rihanna to win the award for Best Original Song. The director thanked the Academy, producer [Guneet Monga](/topic/guneet-monga), her family, and “motherland India” for the win. Producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves accepted the award on stage. The film is available for viewing and downloading online. 'Stranger at the Gate' in the category and 'The Martha Mitchell Effect'. Kartiki Gonsalves makes her directorial debut with the movie.

Her directorial debut won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category. Not to mention, she was also one of the first women to be selected in India ...

And while Gonsalves is in the pursuit to make an impact on environmental and cultural issues through her work, she is also focussing her attention on bringing solutions to the existing challenges with her projects. Having grown up in the Nilgiris, Kartiki Gonsalves describes herself as a traveller and explorer. Much of it also came from her experience as a social documentary photojournalist and filmmaker.

Her efforts of raising two orphaned baby elephants, captured in the documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' is now a global sensation after having won the ...

"The Documentary(Elephant whisperers) has gone as far as the Oscar awards...Only now I knew and understood that it has reached that far... The Elephant Whisperers marks the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves, an Indian documentary filmmaker and photographer. Everyone helped me and provided me with all I needed and hence it was possible to raise both the baby elephants..." It is where Bomman and Bellie stay. "My story(Elephant Whisperers documentary) having won the Oscar award has brought cheer to everyone in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve... Her efforts of raising two orphaned baby elephants, captured in the documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' is now a global sensation after having won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. No one has done something of this sort for recognizing the efforts of our people in Mudumalai...We've been living in the Mudumalai forest and have no exposure to the outside world... Its not just me that deserves appreciation for raising the baby elephants... The Forest department officials, adivasi (indigenous tribal)) community, everyone are delighted... The Theppakadu region of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Me having raised those two elephant calves is what has taken us so far..." Even as the story of 'The Elephant Whisperers', which bagged the Oscar-winning Best Documentary Short Film, is weaved around their own life and gets much fanfare at the big awards in Las Angeles and all around the globe, it is heartbreaking to see that the protagonists themselves will not be able to watch and enjoy the grand documentary at their village home.

Belli, who featured in the Oscar award-winning "The Elephant Whisperers" said, "I have reared many such elephants, treated them like my own children"

It has now been described as a “ [code red for humanity.](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/global-warming-india-must-get-its-act-together-now-warn-environmentalists-predicting-extreme-climates-26454/)” The campaign will continue to cover issues like [air pollution](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/air-pollution/), [waste management](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/waste-management/), [plastic ban](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/plastic-ban/), [manual scavenging](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/manual-scavenging/) and sanitation workers and [menstrual hygiene](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/menstrual-hygiene/). In wake of the current [COVID-19 pandemic](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/covid-19/), the need for WASH ( [Water](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/water-conservation/), [Sanitation](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/sanitation/) and [Hygiene](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/hygiene/)) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight [malnutrition](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/malnutrition/), mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, [adolescent health & gender awareness](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/adolescent-sexual-health/). [LGBTQ population](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/?s=LGBTQ), [indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/leaving-no-one-behind/), people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where [toilets](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/toilets/) are used and [open defecation free (ODF)](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/category/open-defecation-free/) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by [Prime Minister Narendra Modi](https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/tag/narendra-modi/) in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India. “Elephants are like our children, We see it as great service to a child, who lost its mother,” says Belli, who featured in “The Elephant Whisperers.” It won the award for Best Short Documentary at the Oscars on Monday (March 13). NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. Admitting that she did not know about the award, Belli however, said she was excited to receive the wishes, which were pouring in. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Also Read: The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind.

More than the pleasure of the Oscar award, Bellie's heart is filled with the pain of separation of the elephant calves she took care of.

It is incredibly distressing for me and the elephants to be close after the period of separation.” But Bellie has her logical reply: “After stopping me from taking care of the two, they are asking me to cuddle with the elephants. While she is happy, that on one hand, the two elephants she raised are the source of so much international attention, she adds, tearfully: “How can I be fully happy when my elephants are no longer with me?” “Every time he fell sick, I would do pujas for his well-being at the temple,” she says. She had a tearful union with the two calves in the film — Raghu and Bommie — after the announcement of the award. A moment of glory for the Kattunayakar tribe of the Western Ghats and their traditional wisdom.