Last Updated: March 29, 2023, 20:25 IST
Guneet Monga talks about her journey at Rising India 2023.
News18 Rising India: Guneet Monga dishes on her journey from a Journalism student in Delhi to Oscar winning filmmaker.
Guneet Monga and Kartiki Gonsalves made history after winning Best Documentary Short Film at the Oscars this year with The Elephant Whisperers. The ace filmmaker isn’t new to the Oscars as she has already bagged one for her Documentary titled Period. End Of Sentence. While all of us get enthralled by her achievements, not many know how she entered showbiz, and how were her initial days in the industry were like. At News18 Rising India Summit in New Delhi, the filmmaker herself unveiled her journey from a journalism student to the ace filmmaker that she is today.
When the host asked her how was it like to enter showbiz, because you are a Delhi girl, with no background in films, Guneet responded with a smile, ” I studied in Delhi, I did Mass Communication. After this, my neighbor reached out to me with Rs 50 Lacs and told me that he wants to create a studio, and he expressed his will to create videos of newly born babies. And I said that it is the worst idea ever, and this can’t happen. I asked him to give me the money so that I can go to Mumbai and do filmmaking. I don’t know how I got that confidence, I was 21 years old, and I went to Mumbai and told people in Café and at different places that I have 50 Lacs and I want to make a film, and asked for a story and pitches, and from this point, my journey started.”
She added, “My first film was Say Salam, I made it at the age of 21, then I made Dasvadania. Post that, I lost both my parents and I’m the only child, And then, somewhere or the other, producing films was difficult so I took job in Balaji. I was a Supervising Producer in 2010, and during 2008 I produced a short film which got nominated in 2010 – Kavi – for the Oscars. And that was the first time I attended the Academy Awards. After that in 2019 Period End Of Sentence in 2020 and now The Elephant Whisperers.”
Guneet was the producer of The Elephant Whisperers. The short film was directed by Kartiki Gonsalves. The Elephant Whisperers doubled up as Kartiki’s directorial debut.
