Oscar-winning short film producer Guneet Monga, who recently produced the anthology Zindagi Inshort — that amalgamates seven stories — says that the short film is one of the powerful mediums to narrate thought-provoking stories.
Monga says her team went through around 200 short stories before finalising on seven for Zindagi Inshort.
“These stories really encompass life. The story of two youngsters falling in love in Chhaju Ke Dahi Bhalle, the dark reality of a married couple in Sleeping Partner or Pinni or Thappad really show some real moments of life. While Thappad is a story of children, Pinni is the story of an elderly lady. That is the power of a short story,” Guneet Monga said.
The anthology features Neena Gupta, Divya Dutta, Sanjay Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Nakuul Mehta, Isha Talwar, Jitin Gulati, Aisha Ahmed, Swaroop Sampat among others.
The producer won an Oscar for producing the short film Period. End Of Sentence in the Best Live Action category. So, what keeps her grounded and enthusiastic after winning an Academy Award?
“Upbringing I guess. Also, I am quite spiritual. From the beginning of my career as a storyteller, whatever production I have been a part of so far, life has been a struggle. So, the process of storytelling, with a certain conviction is more important for me than anything,” she replied.
“I also think we tend to give too much importance to ourselves saying, ‘I have done this, I have produced a film’. Every time I collaborate with film directors or actors, I only feel grateful. Whether it is Neena (Gupta) ji, Deepak Dobriyal, Manjot (Singh), or Nakkul (Mehta), they are all busy actors. Despite their busy schedules, they acted in these short films that reach out through an app like Flipkart, which is a golden opportunity for us,” she added.
She collaborated with Tahira Kashyap Khurrana for the first time in the project, and is all praise for the filmmaker, who is actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife. “Her writing is her strength and she comes up with quirky ideas that makes her story engaging,” said Guneet.
