Oscars 2025: India-set film ‘Anuja’ loses out to ‘I’m Not a Robot’ for Best Live Action Short Film

The 23-minute short film directed by Adam J. Graves traces the fate of two sisters engaged in child labour

India-set Oscar-nominated short film Anuja, backed by Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, lost out at at the 97th Academy Awards. The film competed in the Best Live Action Short film category against four other well-regarded titles: Alien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger, and A Man Who Would Not Remain Silent. Ultimately, the award went to I’m Not a Robot, a sci-fi short written and directed by Victoria Warmerdam.

Anuja features Ananya Shanbhag, Sajda Pathan and Nagesh Bhonsle in the cast. It is written directed and edited by American filmmaker Adam J. Graves. Set in Delhi, the 22-minute short follows a gifted nine-year-old girl, Anuja (Ananya Shanbhag), who works in a garment factory. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend school presents itself, she must make a choice that will determine her and her sister’s fate. 

Produced by an esteemed team, including Grave’s wife Suchitra Mattai, Mindy Kaling, Priyanka Chopra, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Krushan Naik, and Aaron Kopp, Anuja gained critical acclaim, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.

In its review of Anuja, The Hindu wrote: “The open ending complimented the director’s homage to storytelling and made the audience feel a part of the film. However, as the credits roll and one starts to piece things together, it becomes evident that the film has an air of corporate marketing attached to it and that it might have worked better as a government advertisement and a sermon on the evils of child labour rather than a short film.

The 97th Academy Awards sprung happy surprises for foreign-language productions. Flow, a Latvian production of spare and heart-warming beauty, and In the Shadow of the Cypress, an Iranian animation short, won Oscars in the animation categories, scripting a dual victory for foreign language titles in a genre dominated by effects-heavy Hollywood.

Anuja is streaming on Netflix.

Published - March 03, 2025 08:27 am IST