Historic Double Win for India at Oscars 2023

India celebrated a double win at the Oscars 2023 with Netflix’s documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ winning Best Documentary Short Film and RRR’s blockbuster song ‘Naatu Naatu’ winning the Best Original Song. India’s last Oscar win was for the ‘Jai Ho’ song of the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ film in the Best Original Song category in 2009.

All About the Academic Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are considered the most prestigious awards in the field of cinema. Established in 1929, the Oscars recognize excellence in cinematic achievements across various categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, among others. The 95th Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles, USA on March 12, 2023.

‘The Elephant Whisperers’ makes history

‘The Elephant Whisperers’ made history as the first Indian short documentary to win an Oscar Award. Directed by Ms. Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Ms. Guneet Monga, the 41-minute film was awarded Best Documentary Short Film. It is the directorial debut of Ms. Gonsalves.

The documentary portrays the importance of living in harmony with nature and the emotional bond between an elephant and its caretaker. It follows the story of a tribal couple, Bomman and Belli, as they care for an orphaned baby elephant, Raghu. After being separated from his herd due to an injury, Raghu is well taken care of by Bomman and Belli. They form a family unit and develop a strong emotional bond.

Later, Belli is also asked to care for a female elephant calf named Ammu. Meanwhile, Raghu grows into an adolescent and is placed with another caretaker who is experienced in handling adolescent elephants. Bomman and Belli are heartbroken. One day, tears roll down Belli’s cheeks as she deeply misses Raghu. In a moving scene, Ammu wipes away Belli’s tears.

The documentary was filmed in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp located inside the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Bomman and Belli belong to the Kattunayakan community, who have been protecting the forest for generations.

‘Naatu Naatu’ Bags Award for Best Original Song

‘Naatu Naatu’ from SS Rajamouli’s RRR has won the Oscar in the Best Original Song category. It is the first song from an Indian production to win the award. It is the second Indian song to win this prestigious award after ‘Jai Ho’ from Slumdog Millionaire won in the same category in 2009. Composed by MM Keeravani, with lyrics by Chandrabose and vocals by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, the song became massively popular soon after its release in March 2022. Earlier this year, Naatu Naatu won in the same category at the Golden Globes.

Other winners

Awards were given in 23 categories at the 95th Academy Awards. The film Everything Everywhere All at Once led the ceremony with eleven nominations and seven wins, including Best Picture. Winners in some of the important categories are mentioned below:  

Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for their film Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actor: Brendan Fraser for playing the role of Charlie in the film The Whale

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh for playing the role of Evelyn Quan Wang in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan for playing the role of Waymond Wang in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis for playing the role of Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once