Oscar Loss Won’t Define Us, Says Guneet Monga

JAIPUR (ANI)- Producer Guneet Monga expressed gratitude for the recognition Anuja received at the Oscars despite not winning.

The Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga-backed Anuja, a short film set in New Delhi, was nominated in the Live Action Short category at the 2025 Oscars but lost to the Dutch-language film I’m Not a Robot.

However, Guneet emphasized that getting nominated is also a significant achievement: “We are very happy to be nominated. Being in the top five in the world is a big thing.”

She added, “The journey and the team were beautiful. We were able to bring the girls to America—it was surreal and magical. I was there for seven days and part of the celebration. We really enjoyed it a lot. Jeet jaate to lagta sab worth it hai, nahi jeete to lagta hai sab exhaustion hai itna door gaye the… But we have to keep putting our stories out. There is no option. Everything is not about the win, it’s also about the effort you put in, and it’s great to be nominated.”

The short film entered the Oscar race after receiving acclaim at prestigious festivals such as the HollyShorts Film Festival, New York Shorts International Film Festival, and Montclair Film Festival.

For Guneet Monga, Anuja marks her third Oscar nomination. Her previous projects, The Elephant Whisperers and Period: End of Sentence, both won Academy Awards.

As a woman producer, she highlighted the growing opportunities in India and the US. “It is a time to think about how far I can go and explore. It’s the beginning of a new chapter and time to fulfill all the dreams I have seen.”

Speaking about establishing Women in Film India, she said, “It is a new chapter w