Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated the team of The Elephant Whisperers for winning the best documentary short film award at the 95th Academy awards. The Chief Minister tweeted: "Congrats to Kartiki Gonsalves &@guneetm on winning the #Oscar. No better news to wake up to than two women bringing the first ever Oscar for an Indian production. The patient making and the moving story of the #ElephantWhisperers deserve all the praises & accolades it's getting."
The Elephant Whisperers created history as the first Indian film to win an Oscar in the best documentary short film category. The documentary was shot in the Mudumalai National Park in the lap of the Nilgiri mountains in Tamil Nadu. The 41-minute short documentary film was directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga. Kartiki was born and brought up in Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu. She stayed in the forest area for about five years to make the film.
Accepting the award, director Kartiki said, “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 our space with. And finally for coexistence.” Producer Guneet Monga also went on stage to accept the award.
The Elephant Whisperers is about the bond that develops between a couple, Bomman and Bellie of the Kattunayakan tribe and an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu who was entrusted to their care. After winning the Oscar, producer Guneet Monga said: "To all the women watching….The future is audacious and the future is here.”
The Elephant Whisperers was nominated along with Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchel Effect and Stranger at the Gate.