The Film Federation of India announced on Friday, September 18, 2026, that Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal will represent India in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The film was selected from 33 contenders, beating big-budget Hindi titles like Dhurandhar and the devotional drama Hanuman Ansh. This marks the fourth time a Marathi film has been chosen as India’s official Oscar entry, following Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), and Court (2015).
Film Federation of India Picks Gondhal From 33 Contenders
The selection committee, chaired by filmmaker P Sheshadri, reviewed 33 films over ten days. The list included 14 Hindi films, four Marathi films, four Telugu films, four Gujarati films, three Tamil films, and one each in Malayalam and Nagamese. A silent film was also part of the submissions.
“This year we’ve had four Marathi films, 14 Hindi films, and other films, all the films were good. It’s a happy moment for Indian cinema, for Marathi cinema. This time the official entry is Gondhal,” Sheshadri said at a press conference.
He added that Angh and Ikkis were in the top three list along with Gondhal. The jury included members like Vijay Patkar, Hutu Kanodia, Shanti Kumar, Sandeep Parashar, Sanjay Patil, Sabu Joseph, Anil Thomas, Vivek Vaswani, Bijon Dasgupta, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and others.
What Is Gondhal About
Gondhal is a 117-minute psychological thriller set in rural Maharashtra. The story unfolds over one night during a traditional Gondhal ritual, a folk performance that combines music, dance, and storytelling. The ritual is usually performed at weddings and involves all-night singing and dancing in honour of deities like Bhavani and Khandoba.
The plot centres on Suman, a young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage to a wealthy man named Anand. She falls in love with Saheba, a Gondhali performer. Wanting to escape her marriage, Suman plans a dangerous scheme and pulls Anand’s obsessive cousin Sarjerao into it. What begins as a plan for freedom leads to murder, forcing Suman to navigate a mix of love, betrayal, and survival.
Director Santosh Davakhar has said the film grew from his desire to bring the disappearing folk art of Gondhal to a wider audience. The ritual is not just a backdrop but is central to the story itself.
Meet the Cast and Crew
Ishita Deshmukh plays the lead role of Suman. Yogesh Sohoni appears as her husband Anand, also called Aandya. Nishad Bhoir plays Sarjerao, while Anuj Prabhu plays Sahebrao, also known as Murali. Kishor Kadam plays Bhivaba. Other cast members include Suresh Vishwakarma, Vitthal Kale, Pravin Dalimbkar, Kailash Waghmare, and Dhru Thoke.
Veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja has scored the music for the film. Songs like Malhari and Chandan were released in November 2025.
Gondhal Already Won Big at IFFI
Before the Oscar selection, Gondhal had its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2025. It was part of the Indian Panorama segment. Santosh Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the festival. The award included a trophy, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹15,00,000.
The IFFI jury described the film as “a Shakespearean fable set in a real world” and praised its command of tradition, form, and narrative precision. The film also earned recognition at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, the Pune International Film Festival, and the Third Eye Asian International Film Festival.
Box Office Performance and Streaming Status
Gondhal was released in theatres across India on November 14, 2025. The film had a modest theatrical run. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, it grossed around ₹90 lakh, with an India net collection of about ₹84 lakh. Despite the low box office numbers, the film received strong responses from viewers. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 8.9 out of 10 from around 4,200 users.
Gondhal is not available on any OTT platform as of now. Director Santosh Davakhar has said the film is meant to be experienced in theatres, not on mobile screens. He highlighted that the opening sequence was filmed in a single take and runs for 26 minutes. With the Oscar selection bringing fresh attention, streaming platforms are expected to compete for the digital rights.
Marathi Cinema’s Oscar History
Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be chosen as India’s official Oscar entry. The first was Shwaas in 2005, followed by Harishchandrachi Factory in 2009 and Court in 2015. No Indian film has ever won the Best International Feature Film category, earlier known as Best Foreign Language Film. Only three Indian films have received nominations in this category: Mother India, Salaam Bombay, and Lagaan.
Last year, India selected Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound as its official submission, but it did not secure a nomination.
Director Calls It a Proud Moment for Regional Cinema
Santosh Davakhar reacted to the selection with pride. “It’s a really proud feeling. It’s the effort of my whole Gondhal team and great support from my family. It’s amazing to represent your country at an international level. It feels like I am going to the Olympics,” he told Hindustan Times.
Davakhar’s journey to filmmaking is notable. He worked as a child labourer before entering the film industry. He studied Economics and later trained in screenplay writing at FTII, Pune. Before Gondhal, he directed the short film Adnyat. His struggles, he believes, helped him create better characters. “A director should go through every struggle. Only then can you understand a character,” he said.
He also shared that his time at the Cannes Film Festival shaped his approach. He felt Indian cinema was often seen only through themes of poverty and casteism, and he wanted to show India’s rich heritage and culture instead.
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Oscar Campaign and International Release Plans
Preparations for the Oscar campaign have already begun. Davakhar said a social media team from Finland has been hired, along with a media and public relations professional from Los Angeles who has worked on 27 nominated films in the last 20 years.
The film is also set for release in Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, in addition to its original Marathi version. The director believes the film’s visual scale makes it suited for theatres.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The Academy will announce the shortlist and nominations closer to the ceremony.
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Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on Indian cinema’s journey to the global stage.
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