We speak to the producer and creative talents behind this short live action film which has reached a shortlist of 15 films now vying for an Oscar…
HOLLYWOOD star Priyanka Chopra Jonas has joined Indian Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga and US star creative powerhouse Mindy Kaling in backing a short fictional film about two sisters who eke out a living on the streets in India and both work (illegally) in a garments factory. The younger sister, Anuja is exceptionally bright and has been invited to sit an exam for a prestigious girls’ boarding school but their unscrupulous factory boss has other ideas.
Jonas released a statement explaining why she had come onto board ‘Anuja’ as a producer. She said: “This beautiful film shines a spotlight on a subject that affects millions of children around the world, who are faced with the impossible decision between a future they cannot yet see and the immediate realities of their present. ‘Anuja’ is a poignant, thought-provoking piece that makes us reflect deeply on the power of choices and how they shape the course of our lives. I am immensely proud to be associated with such a phenomenal and impactful project.”
Guneet Monga whose short film documentary, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, won a historic Oscar in 2023, spoke to us about why she backed a film made by emerging powerhouse creatives – Suchitra Mattai, an artist and producer and writer-director academic Adam J Graves. They had made a previous short film, ‘Cycle Vérité’ but would concede that ‘Anuja’ is on a considerably bigger scale. See the interview below
From our story on YouTube…
OSCAR-WINNING producer Guneet Monga talks to us about one of her latest projects which is also now in the running for a Short Live Action Academy award.She is joined by the original creative US partnership between artist & emerging producer Suchitra Mattai and writer-director- academic Adam J Graves in this.
This 21-minute film, ‘Anuja’ charts the story of a girl by that name and played by real street kid, Sajda Pathan. In the story, she plays a nine year old girl who is torn between doing an important entrance exam to a prestigious school – at the behest of a teacher who has seen her ability with numbers – and illegally working in the garment factory alongside her older sister. The boss there insists she work in his office and forget about the teacher and his request.
The film now boasts both Hollywood stars Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra as producers alongside Mattai who conceived the project and developed it jointly with writer-director Adam J Graves. The two are based in Los Angeles and the film qualified for The Oscars after screening at Hollyshorts and was announced as part of a shortlist of just 15 short films academy members must watch now.
The final shortlist of films vying for the Oscars in this section will be announced on Sunday (January 19) now, following the wildfires in LA.
A little more than just a year ago Pathan was living on the streets of Delhi and came to the attention of the Salaam Balak Trust (SBT) – a charity which works with destitute and scavenging children in Delhi. It was originally set up by the family of film director Mira Nair.
As you will hear from this interview, the charity played some part in this film getting off the ground and it is through them and renowned casting director Romil Modi, (who also cast for Kiran Rao’s ‘Laaptaa Ladies’, now known a ‘Lost Ladies’) that they found Anuja’s sister, Palak, in the film and played by newcomer and bharatanatyam dancer, Ananya Shanbhag.
This interview was conducted on Monday, December 30 2024
Production credits
Presenter/producer: Sailesh Ram (editor www.asianculturevulture.com)
Editing: Harry Clegg
