The Oscar winning team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ gets a hero’s welcome in Mumbai – Times of India

450 hours of footage was painstakingly cut into 40 minutes which went onto become Tamil language short, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’. Directed by docu filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, it made history at the 95th Oscars by becoming the first Indian film produced by an Indian production to win an Academy Award in the “Documentary Short Film” category. The heart-warming documentary follows an ageing caretaking couple (Bomman and Bellie) in south India who foster orphaned elephants (like Raghu and Ammu) and raise them as their own children.
The Oscar winning team held their first press conference on Thursday in Mumbai after their return from the US. The talented bunch received thunderous applause as they took to the podium but special love was bestowed upon the film’s real heroes — on- and off-screen elephant caretaker couple aka elephant whisperers, Bomman and Bellie, who feature in the documentary. A tad baffled by the overnight media frenzy, the modest couple from Tamil Nadu didn’t forget their elephant babies even as they were showered with praise.

Speaking in Tamil, Bomman said at the event, “I am a Kattunayakan. I am a protector of the forest. I feel immense pride that the stories of my babies have been put in front of the world. I want to thank Kartiki madam for bringing my story and the story of my children to the entire world. That is so important to me, beyond the prize, the pride I feel as a father.” His wife Belli added, “I was apprehensive of raising Raghu earlier because I knew that one day Raghu will have to go in the wild, the world where he belongs. To take any child away from a mother is a painful experience. But when I came to know that Raghu’s mother had passed away, I couldn’t say no to being with him. How could you say no to such a beautiful baby?” She shared with a smile, “Bomman might feel a little shy. But I have no fear because I’ve lived in the forest. You people might think Oscar is big prize but for me, the real prize is coming and meeting all you wonderful people. It’s wonderful to be able to come to a big city and meet people.”

Guneet shared, “This is the real celebration. Coming back home. That Oscar moment was surreal, humbling but the reeling in is happening now. The joy I feel… is the joy I see in everyone’s eyes here.” A wildlife photography enthusiast since she was 15, Kartiki revealed that she donned the hats of a salesgirl at Fabindia, gym assistant and an advertising employee, before directing the Oscar-winning documentary short.

Besides Guneet, Kartiki, the team of Guneet’s production Sikhya Entertainment, her producing partner Achin Jain, Netflix India’s Vice President of content, Monika Shergill was also part of the panel.