Got a huge shock, says Guneet Monga after speech cut off at Oscars
1 min read 17 Mar 2023, 07:17 PM ISTThe video showed the music cutting off Guneet Monga's speech as she walked up to the mic
PremiumGuneet Monga, who produced ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, winning an Oscar for the best documentary short film, said on Friday that she got a “huge shock" when she wasn’t allowed to make her acceptance speech at the Oscars 2023. A video of the incident has been shared on the social media, showing Guneet Monga holding an Oscar and waiting for director Kartiki Gonsalves to end her speech and take over.
But as Guneet Monga walked up to the mic to start her speech, she was cut off by the music, indicating the end of their speeches. They were then escorted off the stage.
Speaking about her Oscar moment, Guneet Monga said, “I got a huge shock when my speech was cut off by the music. I was on the stage but I loudly said to the people who were on the ground that this is India's first Oscar for an Indian production and then everybody started clapping."
Guneet Monga said that many members of the international film community showed their regret over the moment on the stage.
"Literally everybody came to me in the Governors Ball and told me 'We are so sorry, how did you get cut off?' because I did not know how after my speech, the animation short got full time. That was a bit unfair," Guneet Monga said.
Monga said she wanted to thank her husband Sunny Kapoor as well as the team behind the documentary short, including streaming platform Netflix. She said she was zoned out and gave her speech backstage.
"I can't believe that I was so zoned out and shocked. My heart started beating so fast. I thought I can't come this far and not be heard. At that moment I felt that I would go back and give my speech again on the main stage. But backstage, I was able to give my speech. They cut us off, which was not nice," Guneet Monga said.
Guneet Monga’s short film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. She returned home with the golden statuette in the early hours of Friday.
“I am grateful. I feel like this is a blessing. I think 1.4 billion people manifested this together. So it's surreal," Monga said.
(With agency inputs)
