Smriti Mundhra’s Documentary ‘I Am Ready, Warden’ and Live Action Short ‘Anuja’ Among Films Shortlisted for Oscars
- "I Am Ready, Warden" tells the story a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas;‘Anuja" revolves around a little girl growing up as a child laborer in India.
Indian American filmmaker Smriti Mundhra’s documentary short “I Am Ready, Warden,” and Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai’s “Anuja”, a live action short film about a little girl growing up in child labor in India, have been shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science announced today. “Anuja” is co-produced by Mattai, Mindy Kaling, and Guneet Monga Kapoor, and directed by Graves. The film tells the story of a gifted 9-year-old girl, played by Sajda Pathan, who works in a garment factory in New Delhi, according to its synopsis. “When she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend school, she is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision that will determine her and her sister Palak’s (Ananya Shanbhag) fate.”
“Anuja” was developed with help from the India-based non-profit Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) , which was founded by Dr. Praveen Nair after her daughter Mira Nair’s film “Salaam Bombay!” exposed the harsh conditions of children living on the streets.
Pathan, who plays the lead role of Anuja, brings her personal experience to the role. She currently lives in an SBT home that provides shelter and education for girls formerly living on the street. The film also stars Indian television actor Nagesh Bhonsle, best known internationally for his supporting role as police deputy commissioner in Hotel Mumbai alongside Dev Patel. Krushan Naik (Resurgence), Aaron Kopp (Saving Face, Liyana, Hunting Ground) and Alexandra Blaney (co-CEO and creative director, Shine Global) also serve as producers on the film. Other team members include Michael Graves and Ksheetij Saini.
The short documentary “I Am Ready, Warden” tells the harrowing and emotionally charged story of John Henry Ramirez, a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas. “Deepest gratitude to all those who helped me make this film and all those who have supported it on its journey,” Mudhra wrote in a Facebook post. In a statement issued to Deadline in October, she said the documentary short is “the toughest film” she has ever made, “requiring months of work to gain the trust of the protagonists and access to the most painful time of their lives.” She said the film “explores the moral complexity of a polarizing topic — capital punishment — with scenes that will leave viewers on either side of this ideological divide questioning their beliefs and finding empathy where they least expect it.”
“I Am Ready, Warden”reunites MTV Documentary Films with Mundhra after their 2019 short documentary “St. Louis Superman,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary short in 2020 and won the Critics Choice Award for best short documentary. The project, co-directed with Sami Khan, followed Bruce Franks Jr. as the former battle rapper, Ferguson activist and Missouri state representative tried to pass a critical bill for his community.
Mundhra is the creator of Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking,” which follows matchmaker Sima Taparia, and offers an inside look at the custom of matchmaking in Indian cultures through a contemporary lens. Her directorial debut, “A Suitable Girl,” premiered in competition at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Albert Maysles Prize for the best new documentary director. She was also an executive producer on “1232KMS,” a documentary film for Disney Plus Hotstar.
Nominations voting begins on Jan. 8, and concludes on Jan. 12. 2025. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 17. The 2025 Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, and will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu.