Valiant Versova producer Guneet Monga on bringing home Oscar for Period. End Of Sentence in the Best Documentary (Short) category
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 26, 2019)

A decade after A R Rahman brought home two golden statuettes for his work in Slumdog Millionaire (2008), producer Guneet Monga made India proud at the 91st Academy Awards as Period. End Of Sentence bagged the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. Hours after the win, the co-producer stole a few minutes from the Netflix after-party to speak to mid-day.

"I am on top of the world, I can't describe it in words. We hoped for this win. We were crying, shivering [as the award was announced] and A R Rahman was sitting in the row ahead of us. It was a huge moment."

Conceptualised by a bunch of school kids and their producer-teacher Melissa Berton of Oakwood School in Los Angeles, the documentary tackles the stigma associated with menstruation in India. Monga helped the crew shoot the film in Hapur, India.

"The documentary follows the journey of a girl and her village where they set up a pad-vending machine. It is a commentary on how the girls' lives change in the area. There is a lot of Goddess energy associated with this film. Rayka Zehtabchi reached out to me as they couldn't navigate through India."

Monga, whose understanding of cinema is evident in the acclaimed projects she backs, says the victory only urges her to do better. "It is a validation that I am headed the right way."

Sneha Kumari, one of the women featuring in the documentary, can hardly contain her joy: "Mere liye ye film ka jeetna zaroori tha. Humne Hapur walo ko nahin bataya. Unke liye thoda suspense hai."

Co-producer Mandakini Kakkar says the film has piqued interest worldwide: "We are flooded with requests of people wanting to meet the girls who made this film happen."

By women, for women
"People in India and Los Angeles have supported this film. Mandakini [co-producer] and Guneet [Monga] helped us pull through the film. Women shouldn't be deprived of opportunities for their biology. We tried to bring focus on this issue."

- Rayka Zehtabchi, director