India’s short documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has brought home an Oscar

Mumbai:13/3/23:India’s short documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has brought home an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the 95th Oscar Awards.

The award was received by the talented director Kartiki Gonsalves who credited her “motherland India” for the win.
‘The Elephant Whisperers’ was competing in the category alongside ‘Haulout’, ‘How Do You Measure a Year?’, ‘The Martha Mitchell Effect’ and ‘Stranger at the Gate’.

Well for the uninitiated, Kartiki is based out of Mumbai and is a photojournalist and filmmaker by profession. Her work is mainly focused on wildlife, environment and nature and she also explores themes connected to cultures, communities and their connections.

She is a travel freak and has traveled far and wide to document the tribal communities of India and their connection with nature.

After being presented with the honour, Kartiki, who was accompanied by producer Guneet Monga, said: “I stand here to speak today about the sacred bond between us and the natural world for the respect of indigenous communities and empathy towards other living beings we share our space with and finally for coexistence. Thank you to the academy for recognising our film, highlighting indigenous people and animals.”She concluded by saying: “To my motherland India.”

‘The Elephant Whisperers’ marks Gonsalves’ directorial debut. The documentary is about the bond that develops between a couple and an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu, who was entrusted to their care.

The couple named Bomman and Belli is entrusted with an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu. The story tracks how a strong bond develops between the couple and the elephant as they attempt to nurse the injured infant to health.