After bagging an Oscar earlier in February for The Elephant Whisperers (the Best Documentary Short category), filmmaker Guneet Monga finally feels that she has been accepted in the film industry. “Post Oscars, I’m getting the love that I thought I’d get back in 2013 when The Lunchbox released. But it has taken a decade to be accepted and celebrated as a producer and filmmaker,” she expresses.

Guneet believes that being a producer in India, especially a woman, invites several prejudices. Talking about the kind of bias she faced, she says, “It happened all the time, especially when you talked to big actors who are (also) big producers. They don’t see you as an equal. They don’t know what you can bring to the table. I have been in rooms with very big actors, and they’d say, ‘Acha aap script lekar aaye ho, but what will you do?’ I would be taken aback. In India, if you have money, you can become a producer. But that is not the case abroad. Producing is an art, people study film production.”

As we further discuss gender inequality, Guneet admits that “something shifted” for her “post the #MeToo movement” in India. “There was a lot of suppression, there was a camaraderie that was missing. That movement united a lot of people and reminded them that it is okay to feel and express. I realised that in my previous company, I had produced more than 20 films and none of them were directed by a woman. That was my moment of realisation - What am I doing in this position of power? We are born with patriarchy, feminism is something we learn,” she elaborates.

Despite producing a dozen films, Guneet confesses that she “lived under an imposter syndrome”. “You often think you are a fluke, itna hi aata hai. But over the years, I have realised that mujhe mera kaam aata hai and I can do even better. Now I feel empowered through my work and ability. Early in my life, I suffered a personal loss when I lost my parents in my 20s. I never gravitated towards monetary gains. I wanted to make a difference. When you experience grief so closely, there’s a mind shift that happens. You derive meaning from your work,” she says.