‘The Elephant Whisperers' team interacts with media; Kartiki Gonsalves says ‘hope win paves way..’

The team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ held their first press conference in Mumbai after their big win at the Academy Awards earlier this month. They received thunderous applause as they took to the podium. The event was also attended by Bomman and Bellie, who featured in the Best Documentary Short winner. The tribal couple, who lives on the periphery of Mudumalai National Park of Tamil Nadu, fosters orphaned elephants.

During the presser, the Ooty-born filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves said that she hopes that her big win would pave way for a whole generation of people who are stepping out in the world to showcase the diversity that India has, especially the local documentarians who may not have big budgets.

Speaking in Tamil, Bomman said at the event, ‘I am a Kattunayakan. I am a protector of the forest. I feel immense pride that the stories of my babies have been put in front of the world. I want to thank Kartiki madam for bringing my story and the story of my children to the entire world. That is so important to me, beyond the prize, the pride I feel as a father.’

His wife Belli added, ‘I was apprehensive of raising Raghu earlier because I knew that one day Raghu will have to go in the wild, the world where he belongs. To take any child away from a mother is a painful experience. But when I came to know that Raghu’s mother had passed away, I couldn’t say no to being with him. How could you say no to such a beautiful baby?’

She added, ‘Bomman might feel a little shy. But I have no fear because I've lived in the forest. You people might think Oscar is big prize but for me, the real prize is coming and meeting all you wonderful people. It's wonderful to be able to come to a big city and meet people.’

Producer Guneet Monga shared, ‘This is the real celebration. Coming back home. That Oscar moment was surreal, humbling but the reeling in is happening now. The joy I feel... is the joy I see in everyone's eyes here.’

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