Who is Guneet Monga? India’s ‘Oscar lady’ with a heart-wrenching past

New Delhi: Today, India woke up to a brilliantly good news, something that will inspire generations of women to dream big & also achieve extraordinary in cinemas, over next many decades. The glory was brought to us by Guneet Moga, producer of ‘The Elephant Whisperers.’

In this historic moment, the oscar-winning duo- Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves celebrated the sacred bond that unites nature and human beings.

Albeit this victory is the first of its kind for India, Guneet Monga is no stranger to the taste of success. The BAFTA nominee has bagged an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category with her production ‘Period: End of Sentence’ in 2019 as well.

With numerous accolades and critical acclamation, Guneet, today, sits on cloud nine. Although, the film producer wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Life has tested her resilience ever since she was a child. But just like her cinematic work, the 39-year-old made it past all the hardships and shined like a true star.

My heart is full of love and excitement, most of it imbibed from everyone in India cheering for our win.

So grateful to the visionary filmmaker @EarthSpectrum and to @netflix who gave us the biggest stage in the world. This is for my beautiful, diverse country, India. #Oscar pic.twitter.com/yq6bur69LH

— Guneet Monga (@guneetm) March 13, 2023

Lived in one room house

In an earlier interview, Guneet revealed that she spent the early years of her childhood in a one-room house. She disclosed that due to some property dispute, her mother was subjected to abuse by her brothers-in-law.
The torture escalated to the point where they tried to set Guneet’s mother on fire.

It was then her father finally called the police and left in search of a new place.

Sold Cheese on Streets

Guneet much like her mother was born a dreamer. Her mother had one wish- to be able to live in a 3-bedroom house. A 16-year-old Guneet took it upon herself and started doing all odd jobs to save some money. Guneet Monga revealed that she sold cheese on streets, worked as a PVR announcer, anchored small shows, and whatnot.

The plus side of this hustle was that she turned to films and kickstarted her journey to the top.

Losing her parents

After years of pinching every penny, the Monga family was all set to move into their new dream house. But Guneet’s happiness was short-lived as she lost both of her parents in a span of just six months.

Guneet revealed that her mom died of throat cancer while her dad succumbed to kidney failure. The untimely passing of her parents left her in unimaginable sorrow.

Moving to Mumbai

After all the hardships that life that thrown at her, Guneet decided to give it back and left for Mumbai to pursue her dream career in films. She recalls barely sleeping and pushing herself every day during her struggle years.

Guneet Monga’s victory at the Oscars is not only a moment of pride for India but also for her younger self who sustained all the odds of life with the spirit of a warrior.