New Delhi: Director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga created history as ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the Best Documentary (Short) at the 95th Academy Awards. Post their victory, Kartiki went back to Chennai, where it all began, and shared a picture of Bomman and Bellie with the Oscars trophy.
The documentary is based on the lives of Bomman and Bellie, the elephant caretakers, who play the lead in the film. The picture shows the couple holding the trophy as they pose with a smile in their traditional outfits. Sharing the picture, the filmmaker wrote that it has been four months since she met them and now she feels like she is back home.
The picture quickly went viral as fans and netizens found it adorable. The film fraternity across the globe shared comments on the social media post saying they were eagerly waiting for this picture. Filmmakers and critics showered love, while singer-composer Vishal Dadlani called it his favourite Oscars picture.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also met Bomman and Bellie after the Oscars win and handed them and many other caretakers a cash prize. He also awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 crore to director Kartiki Gonsalves.
The 40-minute-long documentary follows a tribal couple as they take care of and develop a bond with orphaned baby elephants, Raghu and Ammu. ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ became the first Indian production to bag an Oscar. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Along with the documentary, ‘RRR’ also brought glory to Indian cinema as ‘Naatu Naatu’ won in the Best Original Song category.