Marathi Film ‘Gondhal’ Selected as India’s Official Oscar Entry
Marathi thriller ‘Gondhal’, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, putting the regional film into contention for the Best International Feature Film category.
The Film Federation of India announced the selection in Mumbai on Friday, September 18, choosing Gondhal from 33 films submitted for consideration. The film is set in rural Maharashtra and uses the traditional Gondhal ritual as the backdrop for a story involving marriage, desire, betrayal and personal conflict.
The selection does not mean that Gondhal has been nominated for an Oscar. It is India’s submission to the Academy’s International Feature Film competition. The Academy will conduct its own selection process, with the international feature shortlist scheduled for December and Oscar nominations due to be announced in January 2027.
A Marathi story rooted in Maharashtra
Gondhal takes its name from a traditional Maharashtrian ritual performance involving music, dance, devotional elements and storytelling. The film places that cultural tradition at the centre of a thriller set during a night of ritual celebrations in rural Maharashtra.
According to the film’s published synopsis, the story follows Suman, a woman trapped in a difficult marriage, and her connection with Saheba, a charismatic Gondhali performer. The resulting conflict unfolds against the atmosphere of the ritual, bringing together questions of desire, deception, tradition and personal choice.
The cast includes Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu, among others.
For Davakhar, the Oscar selection follows an earlier breakthrough at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2025. He received the Silver Peacock for Best Director for Gondhal. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the IFFI jury praised the film for its handling of tradition, form and narrative.
From festival recognition to the Oscar race
The film premiered at IFFI before its theatrical release in November 2025. Its festival run brought recognition before the Oscar selection, with Davakhar’s direction receiving the Silver Peacock at IFFI.
The Film Federation of India’s committee considered 33 films for this year’s Indian submission. The field included films from several Indian-language industries, making the final selection part of a broad national competition rather than a choice limited to Hindi cinema.
P Sheshadri, chairman of the selection committee, confirmed the choice at the Mumbai announcement. PTI reported that he described the selection as a moment of significance for both Indian and Marathi cinema.
The decision also gives Marathi cinema another opportunity to reach the Academy Awards. Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court was India’s official Oscar submission in 2015, making Gondhal another Marathi-language film to enter the country’s Oscar campaign.
What happens next
The Oscar campaign now moves beyond India’s selection committee. Gondhal must first go through the Academy’s International Feature Film process.
The Academy’s published schedule lists December 15, 2026 for the announcement of the Oscar shortlists. The nominations are scheduled to be announced on January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards are set for March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
That means India’s announcement on Friday is the beginning of the film’s Oscar campaign, not its final destination. Whether Gondhal advances to the shortlist or ultimately receives a nomination will be decided through the Academy’s voting process.
For now, the selection places a Marathi-language story built around a distinctly Maharashtrian cultural tradition in the international feature film race. The film’s next milestone will come when the Academy announces its shortlisted titles in December.
