‘‘I Am A Hustler''

Producer Guneet Monga, fresh with the ecstasy of winning the Oscar, talks to Shraddha Kamdar about experiencing a revolution on camera, breaking taboos by telling stories, and taking the conversation further

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She’s bold, and knows what she wants each time she takes on a story to tell. Fresh from the high of winning the Oscar (Best Documentary Short) for her recent Period. End Of Sentence., producer Guneet Monga is back in Mumbai doing what she does best—picking which story to turn to next. The brightly-dressed producer brightens up the room with her smile, even as she directs us to the room where the interview is to be conducted. Over to the successful producer of films like Peddlers, Masaan, and Lunchbox.

You’ve backed films which didn’t necessarily have commercial scripts, and they’ve turned out magnificent. What’s your process of picking a film?

I spiritually and emotionally feel that stories choose us; it’s an intuitive process for me. It’s more about the team and the story being told. I am mindful of whether the plot is global, will it impact a number of people across the world, who is making it, and has the story been treated with empathy, among other things. I don’t ever want to take the time of the viewer for granted.

How did Period. End of Sentence. come about?