Guneet Monga has won global acclaim for Indian documentary cinema with her co-productions Period. End Of Sentence which won her an Oscar in 2019. And this year, The Elephant Whisperers became the first completely indigenous Indian documentary to bag an Academy Award. We spoke to the filmmaker about documentaries, Oscars, her Oscar acceptance speech and married life
What are your plans for the future, now that you have put Indian documentaries on the world map?
This is a public-private partnership, with a lot of channels across the world supporting you. Making the film is only one part of the proceedings. It has to be supported by funding from the Government, the public or NGOs. Then there are channels which air the film. We have Channel 4, BBC, and now players like Netflix. My next film, a documentary on Honey Singh, is with the same streaming giant. In this world of digital platforms consumption has a direct impact on the demand and hence the supply. So the need for documentaries is increasing, because the need for content is also increasing. I hope to find ways to produce subjects I find interesting.
You took Period to the Oscars as a co-production. And now India’s indigenous production, The Elephant Whisperers. How does it feel to be a trendsetter?
I think we can only work hard and put in a lot of effort. When the blessings come in, it is great. We do not look for awards but do films because we love the script and the story. But when the awards come, you are encouraged to tell more stories. Yes, it’s overwhelming and beautiful, it is such an honour, more than anything else, to represent my country and be the first fully Indian production to win an award.
We were waiting for your speech at the Academy Awards. We were told that you fell sick because you could not deliver the speech.
I will go back for my feature film and make that speech.
You’re collaborating again with Sanya Malhotra for Kathal, after working with her in Pagglait. Why is that?
I think she is one of the finest actresses that we have. There is innocence in her eyes and she is so good with comedy. She has a beautiful screen presence and can adapt to any character. She embodied Sandhya from Pagglait as well as a grieving widow and the cop Mahima who gets an assignment to find a jackfruit in Kathal. The film is a satire about the bureaucracy and the system and is based on true stories. Sanya is also generous with her directors and is hard-working. I have had the pleasure to know her and work with her closely. I hope to continue working with her.
All your films and documentaries have a social message and a touch of reality, don’t they?
They do. I lost my parents very early in life. I was 22. I was an only child. People had a fixed idea about what I should do, and even how I should grieve. But I decided to move out of Delhi lock, stock and barrel, and go to Bombay to figure out my life. Today, those who had different ideas about how I should behave, what I should do, are proud of me.
So what’s next?
Kathal is releasing soon; then the documentary on Yo Yo Honey Singh followed by an action film.
An action film from Guneet Monga?
Yes. That is next. Films are about learning and continuing to grow. I want to make great films and make India proud and win laurels for the country. It has been a very humbling and beautiful experience so far, putting Indian stories on the map, and I hope to continue doing that.
How is married life treating you?
Married life is beautiful because I am married into such a beautiful family. I have manifested the most famous surname in the film industry and now I am a Kapoor. My husband Sunny has a bridal couture business in Chandni Chowk. I got married on 12th December and won the Oscar on 12th March. I reached my Delhi house today and told my mother-in-law that I have stayed there for four days in four months. But since I brought an Oscar home, I get some leverage. They are such a giving family, they put up billboards of me all over Chandni Chowk.
