C hasing tuskers for years, film producer Guneet Monga

Guneet Monga

The Academy Award winning producer of the delightful documentary, The Elephant Whisperers, has never had to chase interesting stories. In fact, Monga humbly admits how tales have always found their way to her - stories, which are intrinsically Indian in spirit, yet so global, that they have been hailed across the world.

Monga’s propensity to gravitate towards such attractive and tangible human tales has always stood her in good stead. It has provoked her to sift through the ordinary while retaining in her work, a certain quintessential Indianness that has the capacity to initiate both introspection and engaging dialogues between the presenter and the viewer.

For instance, when she heard the story director Yashowardhan Mishra wanted to tell through Kathal (Monga’s upcoming production for Netflix), she thought it was a smartly-written satirical fiction on the police force. But on further probe, it appeared that the incident the movie would talk about has happened in real life. “Isn’t that amazing? We don’t even have to conjure up incidents. India is a cauldron of tales that tick,” says Monga, who continuously derives motivation for her work from the vastness of India's diversity! It was one such beautifullyindigenous culture of coexistence of man with his surroundings that Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment presented before the world through The Elephant Whisperers

One probably won't be able to watch the award-winning documentary without smiling and tearing up. It’s about elephants (more precisely, Raghu and Ammu) and man (a couple, Bomman and Bellie) being in complete harmony with nature. But much of the narrative is about loss, love and hope. The delightful Tamil documentary shot by Kartiki Gonsalves, real time over a period of four to five years, will warm the cockles of your heart and teach you exactly why we must be indebted to those who have been taking care (and continue to do so) of our forests and its wild inhabitants.

A broken human and a broken elephant come together and through the magic of the purest kind of love, they heal each other. This is what makes the story of The Elephant Whisperers so moving, inspiring and uplifting. It also connects to the Hindu philosophy of worshipping nature, which surfaces where Bellie explains how the forest is like a god to the locals and why they don’t wear shoes while walking on the grass as a mark of respect. Bomman is a mahout as well as a priest and the distinction between his work as an elephant caregiver and a priest is smudged the moment he envisages the divine in the baby animals he looks after.

“We captured Bomman and Bellie getting married in the documentary. It was a beautiful and fulfilling moment. But more significantly, these two humans were bonding over a period and taking care of each other. This sense of heartfelt

Food Bytes

Born and brought up in the capital, Monga admits her love for Delhi’s street food and lists the ones she binges on whenever she visits from Mumbai. Be it dahi bhalla, aloo tikki or the decadent dessert rabri-jalebi, these are snacks she wouldn’t miss even on a short visit.

Shorts from Punjab

Monga says that some day, she would like to tell a story from Punjab, a place she is smitten with for the vibrancy it carries in its living and society. But more importantly, it is the warmth of the people that she wants the world to witness through a fascinating film.

Books on her bedside table

“Currently, I am reading Robert Iger’s The Ride of a Lifetime. It’s about his 15-year-long journey as CEO of The Walt Disney Company. I don’t think I would even have to explain how fascinating and thrilling the book or his experiences are,” she says.

The most favourite film

“That’s an easy one - Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni. It’s not for nothing that this film is inspirational in so many ways. Look at the narrative - discovering joy amidst the grim realities of life. What’s not to love?” she exclaims.

Tips for young filmmakers

“Learn the good things from the brilliant movie makers of the world and employ them to tell the stories from here. That’s a combination that will never fail. India is a prolifically growing nation with wonders happening everywhere. It is time the world wakes up to our stories,” she concludes.

care brought them together and made the wedding an emotional moment for all of us, including the baby elephants. The family unified over love and companionship. That was the crux,” recalls Monga.

Montages of the elephants being decked up in flowers and colourful alpana (traditional patterns) being applied on their foreheads depict how the simple villagers dress up their deities, with liberal dosage of adoration, admiration and wonder. If Raghu and Ammu are playful, happy elephants, it is the handiwork of their caregivers!

“As storytellers, we often forget that India has beauty of traditions and culture in its every nook and cranny. Look at the food, the clothes, the colours, the dances, the people… everything. Spiritually, there is so much to gain succor from in this great country of ours,” elaborates Monga, a quintessential Delhi girl, who chose a gorgeous Banarasi silk saree for the Oscars night. “I am a saree person and what else would I wear at that podium if not the traditional attire of India! And what a choice it was, right? We went up to the stage dressed in everything gloriously Indian in heritage and spirit!”

Fruitful!

Kathal stars Sanya Malhotra, Vijay Raaz, Anant Joshi and Rajpal Yadav. It tells the story of a spirited cop's investigation of jackfruits that have disappeared from a politician’s house !