Smriti Mundhra’s Documentary ‘I Am Ready, Warden’ and Live Action Short ‘Anuja’ Nominated for Oscars

- While the former documentary short focuses on a Texas death penalty case, the later film tells the story of a little girl growing up in child labor in India.

Indian American filmmaker Smriti Mundhra’s “I Am Ready, Warden,”about Texas death penalty case i and Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai’s Anuja,” about a little girl growing up in child labor in India, have been nominated for the 2025 Oscars in the best live-action short and documentary short, respectively.
“Anuja” is produced by Mattai, Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga Kapoor, alongside executive producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas. It 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.
#AnujaTheFilm is headed to the Oscars!
— Guneet Monga Kapoor (@guneetm) January 23, 2025
Incredibly honoured for this nomination at the 97th Oscars. It is a privilege to share the story of Anuja, representing the work of Salaam Baalak Trust India. #Oscars2025 pic.twitter.com/VDdqXdNoPy
The film 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.
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. “On behalf of our incredible partners at MTV Documentary Films and executive producer Sheila Nevins, we are so thankful to the Academy and deeply humbled by this recognition,” Mudhra wrote in a Facebook post. “In polarized times, acts of grace and forgiveness remind us of our shared humanity, and we are eternally grateful to John Henry Ramirez and Aaron Castro, for showing us that hope exists even in a place like Texas death row.”
In a statement issued to Deadline last 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.”
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.
The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles, at 7:00 p.m. They will be broadcast on ABC.