All You Need To Know About Oscar-Winning Documentary Short Film 'The Elephant Whisperers'

It's time to rejoice as India finds its way to the Oscars 2023 winning list!

We are all aware that dogs are often referred to as a man's best friend, however in this instance, that is not the case. The mighty Elephants become the finest friends in this lovely tale. Yes, you read that right.

The Elephant Whisperers, an Indian documentary short film, had received a nomination for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards and has now won!

Filmmaker Guneet Monga also shared her happiness on Twitter. Check it out here:

Tonight is historic as this is the first ever Oscar for an Indian production.

Thank you Mom Dad Guruji Shukrana ?? To my Co-Producer Achin Jain, Team Sikhya, Netlflix, Aloke, Sarafina, WME Bash Sanjana. My lovely Husband Sunny.

Kartiki for bringing & weaving this story pic.twitter.com/BCOFFdC7Jg

¡ª Guneet Monga (@guneetm) March 13, 2023

Truth-seeking on a shorter timeline. Presenting the nominees for Documentary Short Subject¡­ #Oscars #Oscars95 pic.twitter.com/kM3sDkoC5R

¡ª The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 24, 2023

What is The Elephant Whisperers about?

The 41-minute documentary short film, which was directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, follows a family who adopts two orphan baby elephants in Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Two abandoned elephants and their keepers form an everlasting friendship in the movie. The movie resembles a safari, where the viewer silently takes in the coexistence of nature and man.

Poster/the elephant whisperers

The movie tells the touching tale of an indigenous couple who are given Raghu, an orphaned elephant, to care for. The plot chronicles the couple's efforts to secure Raghu's survival and recuperation as they travel together. The little documentary expertly weaves the story of how the couple eventually falls in love with the magnificent animal. The Elephant Whisperers shows the beauty of exotic wildlife, unforgettable natural regions, and the people and animals who share this space against the backdrop of life in South India's wild areas.

The film¡¯s official synopsis reads, ¡°Bomman and Bellie, a couple in south India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other.¡±

For the unversed, Achin Jain and Guneet Monga produced the movie.

After hearing about the nomination, Guneet Monga tweeted, ¡°Today¡¯s nomination strengthens my faith in stories with heart and people who tirelessly submit themselves to a larger vision. It is truly for them! It is the innocence and honesty that transcended these boundaries and made The Elephant Whisperers travel from a small quaint town of Ooty to the biggest stage of Cinema! This journey has also been about the representation and making our country proud. So here¡¯s to India, and here¡¯s to all of us¡­. RRR and All That Breathes. OMG! This is for INDIA,¡± Monga tweeted.

The Elephant Whisperers is nominated at the Oscars!

This film is an ode to devotion and love..an ode to unconditional selfless love for the beautiful baby ellie Raghu who felt all the emotions like us humans but only two could hear his whispers - Bomman and Bellie. pic.twitter.com/UNHr8uZOKv

¡ª Guneet Monga (@guneetm) January 24, 2023

What made viewers like The Elephant Whisperers?

Many people thought the movie was a brilliant idea when the trailer first came out. The audience was drawn in by both the premise and the trailer's simplistic yet intriguing look.

The representation of unadulterated love between people and animals is another element that helped viewers relate to the movie. Some others even praised how elegantly a wonderful story was depicted on OTT.

Trailer/the elephant whisperers

One person wrote in the comments section of the trailer, ¡°Best film I¡¯ve watched in a long time. Entirely wholesome, inspiring and moving. The filming was beautiful, the editing was brilliant, and the story was wonderfully communicated. Well done¡±

Another wrote, ¡°What a beautifully made Documentary¡­ 41 minutes fly as you get immersed in this wonderful story. Living in TN I have put it on my bucket list to visit Mudumalai ¡°

A third wrote, ¡°wow just beautiful...super we need more of these and everyone in this world should watch and appreciate these type of documentaries. we Indians have so much in us that we hardly explore and bring out our cultures , traditions and the bond with nature and animals . hope we pledge to preserve these vast jungles and take utmost care of our nature Mother earth.¡±

the elephant whisperers

What are the other films in the same category?

'Haulout', 'How do you measure a year'?, 'The Martha Mitchell Effect', and 'Stranger At The Gate' are among the other films nominated in this category.

On November 10, 2022, the documentary was screened at the DOC NYC 2022 Film Festival, a documentary festival in the United States of America.

Guneet is making his third appearance at the Oscars, while Sikhya Entertainment is making its second. 'End of Sentence', which was nominated in 2010 for Guneet Monga's Kavi, won the prize for Documentary Short in 2019.

'All That Breathes' and the movie 'RRR' are also up for Oscars in addition to this Indian documentary.

On March 13 (IST), (today) the 95th Academy Awards is being presented. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel served as host for the event for the third time.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)