Paw-Some Furry Actors Transcend Movie Stars

The 2025 Oscars have been unusually furry! When Mumbai-based dog trainer Riddhima Savkur heard that a dog had been nominated for an Oscar this year, she was surprised and delighted. “I love watching films that feature dogs,” she says. “I hadn’t heard about the nomination, but even from the trailers, the way Indy’s emotions come through is beautiful. You can almost sense what he’s feeling.”

For the first time in the Academy’s history, a dog (Good Boy’s lead actor, Indy) has jumped into the Oscars ring for the ‘Best Actor’ title. In fact, Indy even penned an open letter to the Academy with his pawmark signature saying: “How many great performances must go overlooked before the Academy throws us a bone? Despite my critically acclaimed role in the recent film Good Boy, I have been deemed ineligible for the Best Actor category. Apparently, I am not a good enough boy for you.”

Savkur thinks Indy’s nomination might actually help change how people see working dogs — not just as performers but as professionals who need care, structure and respect.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she says. “It might make people realise how much work goes into those few minutes of magic.”

Dog’s Day Out

The nomination has stirred old affections for cinema’s four-legged heroes: Anatomy Of A Fall (2023), Marley & Me (2008), A Dog’s Purpose, Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009), A Dog’s Way Home; and in India, Teri Meherbaniya, Bhalu and 777 Charlie (2022). Dogs have long been our emotional surrogates on the silver screen, carrying the emotions that would alter the character of a human.

In fact, Messi's outstanding performance in Anatomy Of A Fall (2023) earned him the Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival. An honorary Oscar was granted to Walt Disney in 1933 “for the creation of Mickey Mouse.” But some film critics point out that the Oscar Awards can only be given to human performances (i.e. human actors).

For filmmaker Amoli Birewar, the pull of dogs in cinema lies in their unfiltered sincerity. “These films always work if they’re honest and come from the heart,” she says. “Everyone loves dogs. Among all animals, the bond between dogs and humans is the most special. Our relationships with other people can be complicated, but a dog’s love

is simple and unconditional.”

Behind The Scenes

Putting a canine on camera takes far more work than people think. “Before you even begin filming, the production should speak to a behaviourist and a trainer,” Savkur explains. “Once you’ve chosen which dog to work with, there’s a lot of time spent getting them used to commands, gestures, the camera and the people on set.”

Because dogs can’t be prompted with spoken cues during a take, much of the communication is silent. “You can’t shout instructions while the camera’s rolling, so we use gestures,” Savkur says. “Even a small scene can take months to prepare for.”

There are specific expressions, even small growls, that need to be taught. The process, she says, calls for creativity and sensitivity. She adds, “Dogs don’t express emotion like humans do. You have to figure out how to get what you need without confusing or stressing them.”

Every dog requires a tailored approach. Each one has a different personality. Some respond to treats, others to affection or toys. You have to find what motivates them. There isn’t one universal technique.

Trust & Acceptance

Not many people know that Hollywood superstar Richard Gere spent months with the three Akita dogs used in the movie Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009) to gain their trust and be ‘accepted in the pack.’ Consistency is vital on a movie set. It helps to have just one or two handlers throughout the shoot. “The dog’s trust is everything. The dog needs to accept you. If you keep changing handlers, it unsettles them and affects their focus,” says Kapil Mohan, a dog lover cum trainer. He adds, “They put in just as much effort as any human actor. Hence, I think animal actors must get their due recognition.”

The training world itself has evolved. There has been a significant shift from punishment-based methods to reward-based training. It’s about reinforcement, not reprimand. Timing matters — when you reward them changes how they understand what they’ve done right. Even among reward methods, results vary from dog to dog.

Dogs are deeply attuned to human feelings — though not in a human way. “We often like to believe they feel exactly what we feel, but their emotional understanding is sensory,” Savkur says. “They can detect hormonal changes, which is why they can alert people with diabetes or epilepsy. They sense sadness, happiness, anger — but process it differently.”

A dog’s well-being must come first. They need rest, food, water and both physical and mental stimulation. A stressed or shut-down dog can be traumatised. You can’t compromise their comfort just for a performance.

The 2022 Kannada superhit comedy drama 777 Charlie, starring actors Rakshit Shetty and Raj B. Shetty, tells the moving story of a stray dog (Charlie) who changes the protagonist's life. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was in tears after watching the movie. It reminded him of his pet dog (Sunny), who passed away. “The love between a man and a dog is the best example of pure and unconditional love,” Bommai told reporters later. Filmmaker Anushka Shrivastava recalls one of the first canine characters that made a lasting impression on her — Pluto from Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), who narrates the entire story. “That character really stayed with me,” she says. “It’s about loneliness, companionship, and wanting to be understood. The dog observes everything, but no one really tries to understand him, and that is so true of how we treat them in real life.”

On Indy’s Oscar nomination, Shrivastava admits to feeling both amused and moved. “It’s strange when you think about it logically,” she says. “But how can anyone be against it? They’re too endearing. Every mistake a dog makes is forgiven. We don’t hold grudges against them the way we do with people.”

CURLY TALES

• Good Boy (2025) lead actor Indy (dog) has written an open letter to the Academy saying animal actors deserve the Oscar Award too

• Messi, the dog in Anatomy Of A Fall (2023) got the Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

• An honorary Oscar was granted to Walt Disney in 1933 “for the creation of Mickey Mouse.”

• In 2012, French actor Jean Dujardin took along Uggie (dog) on stage to accept the Best Actor Award for The Artist.