At the Oscars last year, Guneet Monga made history when she won an Academy Award for 'The Elephant Whisperers'. This year, ‘To Kill A Tiger’ was nominated at the 96th Academy Award. Directed by Nisha Pahuja, the Indian documentary had Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Dev Patel and Mindy Kaling serving as executive producers, and it will soon release on Netflix.
During a chat with India Today, the filmmaker recalled the time, and said, "It feels like it happened yesterday." She further mentioned how the global recognition is “surreal and quite thrilling.” The producer added, “It’s almost like participating in the Olympics and winning a medal for our country. When I go to film festivals, it is my way of representing my country be it with ‘The Lunchbox’ or ‘Masaan’. However, I feel it has just started for me. And amid that, when you win the most beautiful and highest reward in our industry globally, it brings you immense pride.”
Guneet further mentioned how you don’t always make things for the Oscars, but since India is a huge country with different languages, even if one piece of content transcends multiple languages, it’s a huge 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,” she said.
Last year, 'RRR' bagged the Best Original Song along with Guneet’s film. Despite Indian films making their mark globally, the nation can certainly have more films winning at the Oscars. Reacting to it, Guneet said, “The first step is to find films which have 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 runs now and that would eventually help.”
Further elaborating on the process, the filmmaker said, “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 Karan Johar distributes a 'Lunchbox', it reaches 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,” she added.
Guneet further clarified that not only off-beat films but mainstream films too have a better chance to win Oscars. She said, “One can always send it and the genre should never be the barrier. You can always compete in the main category. 'RRR' did a fabulous job with its campaign. You submit and then complain that it’s not getting selected, but one must work on a campaign. The best films should be shortlisted honestly. The judgement needs to get away. Films celebrating human spirit, which transcends language and has a strong global distribution should be our ideal choice.”
