Who Can Say No To Baby Elephants!
THE WEEK India|March 26, 2023
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Kartiki Gonsalves, director, Guneet Monga, producer, The Elephant Whisperers
Pooja Biraia Jaiswal
Who Can Say No To Baby Elephants!

After The Elephant Whisperers won the Oscar for best documentary short film, director and cinematographer Kartiki Gonsalves thanked Bomman and Bellie, elephant caretakers and protagonists of her film from the Kattunayakan tribe, for their traditional wisdom that helped her in the making of the film. It marked a moment of glory for the indigenous community that inhabits the Nilgiris, and reaffirmed the friendship between Gonsalves and her “lifelong friends”. She grew up there and had to share their story with the world as a way of showing her gratitude. Being an ace cameraperson, she shot several long-form reels on her phone and other cameras and sent them to producers. Guneet Monga, with her keen eye, spotted the story as a “winner” and went all out to back it. In their first interview to an Indian publication post the Oscar win, the producer and director talk about what it takes to make an Oscar-winning film. Excerpts:

Q/ Congratulations. Did you connect with Bomman and Bellie after the win?

A/ Gonsalves: Sadly, just recently there was an electrocution of three elephants in Dharmapuri (northwest Tamil Nadu), so Bomman has been in the field. They are both overly excited about the journey. I have not personally spoken to them.

Q/ On one hand, we have a film portraying the bond between man and animals, and now we have this sad news. Did you come across such instances while making the film? Did you consciously edit it?

Denne historien er fra March 26, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 26, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE WEEK INDIASe alt
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
THE WEEK India

What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?

IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
THE WEEK India

Trump and the crisis of liberalism

Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Men eye the woman's purse
THE WEEK India

Men eye the woman's purse

A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
When trees hold hands
THE WEEK India

When trees hold hands

A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Ms Gee & Gen Z
THE WEEK India

Ms Gee & Gen Z

The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
THE WEEK India

Vikram Seth-a suitable man

Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Superman bites the dust
THE WEEK India

Superman bites the dust

When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
THE WEEK India

OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port

time-read
4 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE WEEK India

Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets

THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
THE WEEK India

Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay

AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024