Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga's Netflix documentary The Elephant Whisperers won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category. The historic win is being celebrated across the globe. However, according to reports, the stars of the docu-short, Bommon and Bellie, are yet to see the film in question. The director of the film, however, undercut the reports circulating, decisively stating, that they were the first ones to see the documentary.
Netizens also showed concerns regarding Bommon and Bellie's absence during the award ceremony. The lack of overt acknowledgement of the 'real stars' of the film during the makers' acceptance speech left many upset.
Amidst this, Netflix put out a tweet, talking about the star-couple, Bommon and Bellie, and their willingness to share their lives with the world which made the success of the docu-short possible.
Netflix hails Bommon and Bellie as the real stars of the documentary
Netflix took to twitter to hail the couple Bommon and Bellie as the real stars of the film, they said: "The Elephant Whisperers themselves, Bommon and Bellie are the real stars of the show. It is only through their constant support, and willingness to share a piece of their life with the world, that this film won this highest honour."
Director Kartiki Gonsalves states Bomman & Bellie have seen the film
Kartiki Gonslaves, took to Twitter to rubbish the rumours circulating that the couple hadn't watched the film. She said, "I’d like to address that Bomman and Bellie were the very first people to watch the documentary at a special viewing by me. They live in the core area of the forest and do not have access to streaming channels."
Twitter reacts to Bomman & Bellie being sidelined
One Twitter user wrote, "I hope Bomman and Belli know that what we achieved today is largely because of their unconditional love for the elephants. Years of looking after them, being their parents and being reciprocated with love is a testament to their work."
Oscar for The Elephant Whisperers. I hope they take the celebration to the actual stars of the film - Bomman, Belli, Raghu and Ammu :)
One Twitter user showed concern about if the couple was compensated or not, the user said: "Did Bomman and Bellie even get paid for The Elephant Whisperers?"
Here are some of the other reactions:
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(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)
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(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)
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(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)
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