Guneet Monga: Want Hapur girls to walk the Oscars red carpet

A still from the documentary

Guneet Monga was in Indore on Tuesday when she learnt that her production, Period. End Of Sentence, has earned a nomination in the Best Documentary Short Subject category of Oscars 2019. As the congratulatory calls started pouring in, the producer celebrated by treating herself to golgappas. "I was in Indore to attend the wedding of Sneha Khanwalkar [musician] and Kanu Behl [director]. I did mooh meetha of all the guests by offering them paan," laughs Monga.

A day later, she says the news has yet to sink in. "Last year, the film bagged several awards all over the globe. Now, this is the ultimate award ceremony," says Monga, whose previous productions Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), The Lunchbox (2013), and Masaan (2015) have won acclaim at international film festivals. The idea to make a film on the taboo that surrounds the subject of menstruation came from a bunch of school kids and their teacher, Melissa Bertin, at Oakwood School in Los Angeles.

Guneet Monga

"When they learnt that girls in Hapur had to drop out of schools because of their menstrual cycle and the stigma associated with it, through the NGO, Action India, they decided to install a pad vending machine in the village." With barely a month to go for the ceremony, the producer wants the real-life heroes to be by her side on the big day. "I want them [girls from Hapur and Action India] to walk the red carpet. I have to start looking for sponsorships. Some do not even have a passport." Organising screenings of the film before the final voting on February 19 is also on the agenda.

Also read: Oscar Nominations 2019: The Favourite, Roma lead the race; complete list

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates