Guneet Monga’s production house Sikhya Entertainment has signed Pagglait director Umesh Bist for a fresh project, the plot and cast for which is likely to be revealed soon.

The 2021 black comedy Pagglait, starring Sanya Malhotra, marked the first collaboration between Sikhya Entertainment and Bist.

“Umesh is a prolific storyteller who has a deep and delicate understanding of human emotions, which is his USP. That’s why the moving and extraordinary story of Pagglait touched the hearts of so many people. This is Sikhya’s second collaboration with Umesh Bist,” said Monga.

Meanwhile, Sikhya’s documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers on Netflix is headed to the 95th Oscars. The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, is the story of an indigenous couple in south India, who bond with an orphaned elephant, Raghu, to become his caretaker.

The film has been nominated among the top five documentary shorts globally by The Academy, which happens to be the third Oscar nomination for Monga.

Monga has previously been nominated for her short film Kavi (2010) and documentary short Period. End of Sentence (2018), which won an Oscar.