At this year’s Academy Awards, India made history by bagging two awards. The track Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli’s drama film, RRR, was named the Best Original Song while the documentary film, The Elephant Whispers received the trophy for Best Documentary film. Actor Ram Charan who played one of the lead roles in RRR and Guneet Monga, the producer of The Elephant Whispers returned to India today and were welcomed by crowds of people cheering for them at the airport.
Ram Charan who attended the event with his wife Upasana, RRR director Rajamouli and co-star Jr NTR, was greeted by fans as he landed at Delhi airport on Friday. According to sources, the actor will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city at an event he will attend. Naatu Naatu was also performed live at the ceremony and received a standing ovation from the audience. The performance was introduced by Deepika Padukone.
On the award, Ram told media sources, “I am pleased & happy. Thank you, everyone. We are proud of MM Keeravani, SS Rajamouli & Chandrabose. Because of their hard work, we went to the red carpet & brought Oscar for India... I thank all the fans and people from North to South and East to West parts of India for watching RRR & making the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song a superhit. Naatu Naatu was not our song it was the song of the people of India. It gave us an avenue for the Oscars.”
On the other hand, Guneet also received a warm welcome from a crowd which included her friends and family, at Mumbai airport as she returned from Los Angles, early Friday morning, The filmmaker also spoke to media who were stationed outside the airport.
In a video shared on Instagram by a paparazzi account, Guneet was seen receiving a traditional welcome, complete with garlands, tikas (marks on the forehead), a plate of sweets and a tiny lamp. Guneet was also showered with flower petals. She also gave a bow of appreciation to those who had come to see her at the airport.
The Elephant Whisperers, a short documentary film produced by Guneet and Kartiki Gonsalves, won the Best Documentary Short Film Oscar. The movie narrates the story of two orphaned elephant calves cared for by mahouts Bomman and Bellie in Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.