Priyanka Chopra, Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga hail Oscar nod for short film Anuja

Hollywood stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mindy Kaling, and Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga have celebrated the Academy Award nomination of their film Anuja in the Live Action Short category. The New Delhi-set short film from directors Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai is pitted against A Lien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger, and The Man Who Could Not 

Remain Silent in the category at the Oscars 2025. The nominations for the upcoming award ceremony, which were twice postponed earlier this month due to wildfires in Los Angeles, were announced by comedians Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott on Thursday.

Anuja follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister - a decision that will shape both their futures. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.Monga serves as an executive producer on the film, with Mindy Kaling taking on the role of producer. Recently, Priyanka Chopra Jonas also came on board as an executive producer.

“Yaaaay! Anuja is heading to the 2025 Oscars as a nominee for Best Live Action Short Film! Incredible! Thank you to @theacademy for the amazing honour,” Priyanka posted on Instagram.“It’s an honour for @purplepebblepictures and I to be a small part of this film’s journey alongside our amazing partners @suchitramattaistudio, @mindykaling, @guneetmonga, and @shine.global,” she added. Kaling hailed Anuja as a story of “resilience, sisterhood, and hope.”

“We’re incredibly honoured to be nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards 2025... It has been such an honour to produce this short film and learn from the artists involved. So proud @kalinginternational gets to be a part!” she wrote on Instagram.

Anuja is produced in collaboration with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a non-profit founded by filmmaker Mira Nair’s family to support street and working children, alongside Shine Global, and Krushan Naik Films.