Priyanka Chopra, Guneet Monga ‘honoured’ by Anuja's Oscar 2025 nomination: ‘A privilege to share this story’

Anuja is a short film directed by Adam J Graves. The film that'll stream soon on Netflix has been nominated for Best Live Action Short.

Updated on: Jan 23, 2025, 22:10:44 IST

By Neeshita Nyayapati

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The short film Anuja, directed by Adam J Graves, was nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 97th Academy Awards. Heavyweights like Priyanka Chopra, Guneet Monga Kapoor, and Mindy Kaling have backed the poignant tale. (Also Read: Oscars 2025 full list of nominations: Anuja bags historic nod for India, The Brutalist and Emilia Perez dominate)

A still from the Oscar-nominated film Anuja.

Priyanka Chopra, Guneet Monga react to the nomination

Priyanka called Anuja being nominated for the Oscars an ‘incredible moment’, saying, “Anuja being nominated for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category is such an incredible moment. This film is a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling—how it can shine a light on love, family, and resilience in the most authentic way.” She shared that she was ‘proud’ of the director and ‘moved’ by Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag’s performances, adding, “It’s an honor for me to be part of this journey alongside our amazing partners—Suchitra Mattai Studio, Mindy Kaling, Guneet Monga Kapoor, and Shine Global.”

Guneet spoke about the honour and said, “Incredibly honoured for this nomination at the 97th Oscars. It is a privilege to share the story of Anuja, representing the work of Salaam Baalak Trust India - the voice of countless youth who bravely face formidable circumstances every day. Even through unimaginable odds, they show us there is reason to smile. Director Adam J Graves and Producer Suchitra Mattai have poured their hearts into this.” She added that the nomination is a ‘testament to how we can cross borders, collaborate, and bring honest stories to life’ thanking Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra Jonas for their support.

Anuja on Netflix soon

Anuja has the backing of a team of producers: Suchitra, Mindy, Guneet, Krushan Naik, Aaron Kopp, Devananda Graves, Michael Graves, Ksheetij Saini and Alexandra Blaney. Priyanka and Anita Bhatia are on board as executive producers. Co-executive producers include Archana Jain, Susan MacLaury, and Albie Hecht. The film explores Mira Nair’s Salaam Baalak Trust, a nonprofit empowering street and working children, with lead actor Sajda, herself a beneficiary.

Monika Shergill, VP of Content at Netflix India, spoke about the nomination and said, “It is an honour to bring a beautiful, homegrown film like Anuja to audiences around the world. We hope this powerful story of resilience and redemption resonates with hearts everywhere and brings India another Oscar after The Elephant Whisperers. Congratulations to the incredible team behind this heartening tale of sisterhood.” Anuja will stream soon on Netflix.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeshita Nyayapati
Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More

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