(Combines related stories)
Tamil documentary The Elephant Whisperers and SS Rajamouli’s Telugu period action film RRR created history at the 95th Academy Awards by winning best Documentary Short Subject category and Best Original Song category.
The Elephant Whisperers became the maiden Indian production to win in the category. Directed by debutante Kartiki Gonsalves, the Netflix documentary bested Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect and Stranger at the Gate to scoop the trophy.
“I stand here today to speak for the sacred bond between us and our natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share space with and finally, for coexistence,” Gonsalves said in her acceptance speech.
The director went on to thank the Academy, producer Guneet Monga, her family and dedicated the win to her “motherland India”.
“Thank you to the Academy for recognising our film, highlighting indigenous people and animals.. To Netflix for believing in the power of this… To Bomman and Belli for sharing their sacred tribal wisdom to Guneet, my producer…
“My mentor and my entire team and finally, to my mother, father and sister who are up there somewhere and you are the centre of my universe, to my motherland India,” she added.
The Elephant Whisperers, in its 39-minute runtime, depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephant calves Raghu and Amu and their caretakers, Bomman and Belli. It is produced by Monga and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment.
‘The Elephant Whisperers’ themselves, Bommon and Bellie are the real stars of the show. It is only through their constant support, and willingness to share a piece of their life with the world, that this film won this highest honour. pic.twitter.com/HwjatKQw6W
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 13, 2023
Monga didn’t say anything on stage but struck an exultant pose lifting the coveted golden statuette high up in the air.
Moments later in an Instagram post, she described the Tamil documentary’s win as a moment of glory for India with “two women”.
“Tonight is historic as this is the first ever Oscar for an Indian production. India’s Glory with 2 women. Thank you Mom Dad Guruji Shukrana. To my Co-Producer Achin Jain, Team Sikhya, Netflix, Aloke, Sarafina, WME Bash Sanjana.
“My lovely Husband Sunny. Happy 3 months anniversary baby! Kartiki for bringing & weaving this story. To all the women watching . The future is audacious and the future is here. Let’s go! Jai hind,” Monga wrote in her post.
Earlier, two India-set titles backed by foreign productions – Smile Pinki and Period. End Of Sentence, won Oscars in the Documentary Short category. Monga was the executive producer on 2018’s Period.
Meanwhile, “Naatu Naatu”, the peppy, foot-tapping chartbuster from SS Rajamouli’s action film RRR, waltzed its way to history by becoming the first Indian track to win the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category.
“Naatu Naatu” or “Naacho Naacho” in Hindi, is composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose.
“I grew up listening to The Carpenters and now here I am with the Oscars. There was only one wish on my mind, so was Rajamouli’s and our families’ — ‘RRR’ has to win Pride of every Indian must put me on the top of the world,” Keeravani said in tune to The Carpenters’ much loved 1970s song “Top of the World”.
Chandrabose simply signed off with a “Namaste” at the 95th Academy Awards here on Sunday night.
“Naatu Naatu” was nominated alongside “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman, ‘Hold My Hand’ from Top Gun: Maverick, ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and ‘This Is a Life’ from Everything Everywhere All at Once.
THE OSCAR MOMENT ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 #NaatuNaatu #Oscars95 #RRRMovie pic.twitter.com/0P0SLLfnOd
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) March 13, 2023
This is the third major international recognition for the Telugu song after Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award wins.
The film’s team described the win as a “surreal moment”.
“We’re blessed that #RRRMovie is the first feature film to bring INDIA’s first ever #Oscar in the Best Song Category with #NaatuNaatu! No words can describe this surreal moment. Dedicating this to all our amazing fans across the world. THANK YOU!! JAI HIND!” read the post on the official Twitter page of “RRR”.
“RRR” (Rise Roar Revolt), a pre-independence fictional story, follows two real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) in the 1920s.
“Naatu Naatu” celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm. The title of the track translates to bucolic in Telugu. It demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its runtime of 4.35 minutes.
“Jai Ho” from the 2008 British film “Slumdog Millionaire”, directed by Danny Boyle, was the first Hindi song to win an Academy Award in the Best Original Score and Original Song categories. It was composed by AR Rahman and penned by Gulzar.
“Whatever wins up there, an Indian thing, is going to raise the profile of India. I love that song,” Rahman told PTI ahead of Oscar 2023.
Rajamouli said in an interview recently that choreographer Prem Rakshith came up with over “100 variations” of the hook step for the song. “Naatu Naatu” singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kala Bhairava also performed the song at the Oscars ceremony.
Indian climate change documentary “All That Breathes” could not register a win in the Best Documentary Feature category at the 95th edition of the Academy Awards, losing out to Daniel Roher’s “Navalny”.
The Shaunak Sen-directorial was nominated in the segment alongside “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, “Fire of Love”, and “A House Made of Splinters”.
“All That Breathes” is a Delhi-set documentary which follows two siblings, Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially black kites.
The critically-acclaimed film previously won the ‘World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary’ at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and the Golden Eye award for the best documentary at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
