Nine months later after the shooting of Kush, as Sonika stared at the newspaper headlines saying this short film has made it into the Shortlist by the Academy, and is amongst the top-ten live-action shorts that will advance in the Oscar's race, her jaw dropped aside, thats when she knew that her spark in the film had been acknowledged!

And this is after Kush had already won the Orizzonti Award at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, a Jury Award at Hamptons International Film Festival and the Best Short Film at Berscia, Italy!

Kush, a 25-minute short film, is inspired by a true story of the young Director's school teacher. It takes place during the riots following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, and revolves around a school picnic where a teacher is trying to protect Kush, the only Sikh child in the group, from the violence raging around them.

Sonika plays the main lead in the short film besides the child, Kush.