Guneet Monga, who made history last year with an Oscar win for ‘The Elephant Whisperers,’ reflects on the achievement, stating it feels like it happened yesterday. This year, her documentary ‘To Kill A Tiger,’ directed by Nisha Pahuja and executive produced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Dev Patel, and Mindy Kaling, is nominated for the 96th Academy Award.
Monga, in a new interview, emphasized the importance of Indian films gaining recognition at international film festivals, believing that breakout films discovered on such platforms will contribute to more Indian successes at the Oscars. “One doesn’t expect awards. I always believe that mehnat karni chaiye, rehmat upar wala karega (One should work hard, and the grace from above will follow). Also, honestly, you don’t make things for the Oscars. India is a huge country with different languages. Here, even if a piece of content transcends to multiple language, it’s a big thing. With an honour like the Academy, the stories need to cross many boundaries and for that, it needs to be told in the purest form. And when that happens, it brings immense joy,” said Guneet Monga.
She continued, “The first step is to find films which has had a breakout at a film festival. Something that gets discovered. These platforms exist so that beautiful filmmakers can come out. Indian films have started having more run now and that would eventually help.”
Sharing a hack, Guneet asserted, “And finally, one needs to find distributors in the USA who can spend time and money to spread the word for your film. One must kickstart well-decided campaigns. In easier words, when a Karan Johar distributes a ‘Lunchbox’, it reaches to farther corners of the country. Hence, when a Sony Pictures or Lionsgate takes your film, it can help promote it well with their years of experience and networking. So, with your box office and distributor coming together, it stands a better chance for the magic to happen. It is a well-constructed process and cannot be done overnight or in four weeks of landing in LA with your film.”
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be livestreamed in India on Disney+ Hotstar at 430 am.
