The Kapurs of Ballygunge Circular Road had wrapped up their Diwali festivities by midnight, only for a phone call at 2.30am to unleash a fresh burst of celebration.

“I won!” said a voice over the phone from 9,500km away, triggering screams of delight that sent the decibels shooting through the roof of the 12th floor apartment like a Diwali rocket.

Ashwika Kapur, a 26-year-old wildlife and natural history filmmaker, had just announced to her proud parents back home that she had become the youngest and the first woman from India to win the Green Oscar.

“I was fine all evening, but just before the award was announced I suddenly experienced extreme nervousness and felt my confidence go down, but once my name was called out there was an overwhelming rush of adrenaline through my veins,” Calcutta girl Ashwika told Metro over the phone from Bristol, the UK.

Her film Sirocco – How a Dud Became a Stud had fetched a nomination in the Best Newcomer category from a 42-country field of 488 entries. The film is on one of the critically endangered bird species in the world — the flightless Kakapo parrot that is native to New Zealand — and focuses on a single Kakapo, perhaps the only bird in the world with a government job.

Ashwika Kapur with the Green Oscar in the Best Newcomer category at Bristol, UK, on Thursday

The Green Oscars, also known as the Panda Awards, are the gold standard in wildlife filmmaking. Previous winners from India include wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Mike Pandey, the Bedi Brothers (Ajay and Vijay) and Dusty Foot Productions.

“I was woken up by Ashwika’s call at 2.30am and I have been ecstatic since. It is wonderful that she won this important award on Diwali and my only prayer all evening was to see her victorious,” father Ashwani Kapoor said.

Metro had highlighted Ashwika’s nomination for a Green Oscar — awarded as part of the annual Wildscreen Film Festival — on August 4.

After her name was announced as the winner in the Best Newcomer category, it was a long walk to the stage for Ashwika, seated at the back of the massive hall with her fellow nominees from the US and the UK. Dressed in a black evening number, she walked up to the podium and “realised” she had actually won only after holding the trophy.

“…This first one’s for my teachers and mentors across the world. Thank you for bringing out the very best in me. Thank you for empowering me with the skills to follow my dreams,” Ashwika said in her acceptance speech.

Professor Bertram Da Silva of St. Xavier’s College, who Ashwika counts among her mentors, was among those who received a call from her.

“What the award means is that genuine talent will always be recognised, and it is she alone who deserves all the credit for it. Her passion and determination can certainly make this world a better place,” said Da Silva, vice-principal (arts and science) at St. Xavier’s College.

Ashwika, an alumnus of La Martiniere for Girls, said her first memories of connecting with nature were of taking her pet duck for walks as a four-year-old. Over the years, her apartment became a veritable zoo with a pair of rabbits, 20 pigeons, squirrels, macaws, a tortoise and more.

“Two decades on, this award feels like a validation of my passion for wildlife,” said the young filmmaker, her voice slightly broken after a night of celebration.

From research and scripting to camerawork, editing and music, Ashwika’s film was a solo effort. “The fact that a solo project like this by a newcomer has been appreciated makes the award all the more satisfying. The other highlight is a brief meeting with Sir David Attenborough, whom I gifted a copy of my film,” Ashwika said.

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