New Delhi, March 17: It was truly a memorable day for India as it celebrated its two big wins at the Oscars. Indian documentary film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the Oscar in the ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ category while RRR’s power-packed song ‘Naatu Naatu’ took India globally as it won the Oscar for ‘Original Song’, making it a historic day for Indian filmmakers and the audience.
Guneet Monga’s ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, a documentary directed by Kartiki Gonsalves paved the way for many to believe that India truly can take the centre stage globally. It won the Oscar in the ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ category against ‘Haul Out,’ ‘How Do You Measure A Year?’ ‘The Martha Mitchell Effect,’ and ‘Stranger At The Gate’.
Producer Guneet Monga along with director Kartiki Gonsalves took centre stage to accept the honour.
In her winning speech, Gonsalves said, “I stand here today to speak on the sacred bond between us and our natural world. For the respect of indigenous communities. For entity towards other living beings, we share our space with. And finally for co-existence. Thank you to the academy for recognizing our film highlighting indigenous people and animals. To Netflix for believing in the power of this film.”
The film”s plot revolves around a family who adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
Another victory for India is ‘Naatu Naatu’. The song that made millions groove to its beats was also performed on the Oscar stage by a power-packed singer duo Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. Later, the team lifted the trophy as the hall lit up with loud cheers and claps. The moment lyricist Chandrabose and composer MM Keeravani accepted the trophy will always be remembered as a revolutionary moment for Indian cinema.
‘Naatu Naatu’ competed against ‘Applause’ from the film ‘Tell It Like A Woman,’ ‘Hold My Hand’ from the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Lift me Up’ from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘This Is Life,’ from ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’.