Guneet Monga shared this image. (courtesy: guneetmonga)
New Delhi:
the elephant whisperers, Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, it has made history by winning Best Documentary Short at the 95th Academy Awards. On the occasion, mumbai humans has shared a post in which Guneet Monga has recounted her journey from coming from a middle-class Punjabi family to being a producer. In her Instagram post, Guneet Monga talked about her dreams and her early struggles. She said: “I have lived a life of borrowed dreams. I grew up in Delhi, in a Punjabi middle-class family. To the world, we were happy, but no one knew what happened behind closed doors. My family was assigned 1 room in a big house. Due to the sibling fight over the property, my mom was suppressed. They abused her… Once the argument got to a point where they tried to burn her alive, my father called the police, grabbed us from her and ran out of there”.
After this, Guneet Monga’s family began to rebuild their lives, he explained. “Eventually, my mom began to dream of having a 3-bedroom house on the ground floor with 3 steps at the entrance. How specific! I decided to buy one for her. At 16, I started working while balancing school work: selling cheese on the streets, being an announcer on PVR, a DJ, a presenter… you name it. In college, I started coming to Mumbai to work in movies. I went from being a coordinator to being a production manager. Everything I would earn, I would give to my parents for our dream. Little by little we pooled our savings and reserved a house”.
However, when the house was ready, Guneet Monga lost her parents within six months of each other. Her personal tragedy pushed her to move to Mumbai and channel her “energy into movies”. She added: “My dreams then became my director’s dreams. She was always on her feet and barely slept four hours a day. Every movie was a challenge. Crowdfunding, international sales, but I loved it! I wanted to hear the ‘you did well’ from my mom or the ‘proud of you’ from my dad…”
“So, in my happiest moments, whether it was at the Oscars or when we produced Wasseypur Gangs and the lunch box or when i launched my production house… all i wanted was my parents by my side. But I know they are at peace where they are. Someday I will see them again and have my ‘well done’. But for now, I go through life, collecting happy moments for them. I hope you can be proud that I have finally stopped borrowing dreams. I’m my own person now and maybe that in itself is a dream come true!” she said.
Read the full note here:
On Monday, Guneet Monga also shared a picture of her winning moment on stage, saying, “Tonight is historic as this is the first Oscar for an Indian production. India’s Glory with two 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 month anniversary, baby! Kartiki for bringing and weaving this story. To all the women watching… The future is bold and the future is here. Come on! Jai rear.
the plot of the elephant whisperers follows a family adopting two orphaned baby elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Guneet Monga previously served as an executive producer on Period. End of sentence. which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
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