Marathi Thriller ‘Gondhal’ Named India’s Official Oscar Entry

Marathi thriller Gondhal has been named India’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced, choosing Santosh Davakhar’s debut feature from 33 entries across languages. The Better India reported that a FFI jury chaired by P Sheshadri selected the film unanimously in Mumbai, praising its technical execution and fusion of style with substance.

The film is built around gondhal, a centuries-old Maharashtra ritual in which hereditary performers known as Gondhalis sing gratitude to a family’s kuladevata through the night after weddings, recoveries, or other vows. The Better India traced the practice’s roots to worship of goddesses such as Bhavani and Renuka, to 13th-century Mahanubhava literature, and to festival references recorded as early as 1240 AD. Performers in vivid colour, often tossing lit torches, sing mythological stories to the sambal drum, tal cymbals, and chipli clappers while gatherings swirl until dawn — a living folk form that Davakhar places at the centre of a psychological thriller rather than a documentary.

Davakhar’s story follows Suman, a young bride, and her lover Sarjerao, whose obsession with the tradition becomes what the official synopsis calls “a deadly chess match.” The Better India noted the cast includes Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohani, Nishad Bhoir, and Anuj Prabhu, with music by Ilaiyaraaja — only his second Marathi score, after Hello Jai Hind! in 2011. Theatrical release in India came on November 14, 2025, before the Oscar-entry decision locked attention on a re-release and international campaign path.

The Hindu, citing PTI, independently confirmed the FFI announcement and Sheshadri’s remarks: “This year we’ve had four Marathi films, 14 Hindi films, and others films, all the films were good… This time the official entry is Gondhal.” He said the jury watched 33 films over ten days and that Angh and Ikkis were among the top three alongside Gondhal. The Hindu summarised the narrative as unfolding over a night of ritual dance in rural Maharashtra, with Suman plotting escape from an oppressive marriage and blurring devotion, deception, and fate.

Festival pedigree helped the case. Both outlets note the film’s world premiere in the Indian Panorama at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director. The Better India additionally reported that Gondhal is said to feature a continuous shot lasting about 25 minutes — a technical talking point jurors appear to have weighed alongside cultural specificity when comparing it with higher-profile Hindi contenders.

The selection is historic for Marathi cinema’s Oscar pipeline. Gondhal is only the fourth Marathi title submitted as India’s official entry, following Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), and Court (2015), both The Better India and The Hindu report. Last year’s Indian submission, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, did not reach the final nominations. Contenders left behind this year included titles such as the Dhurandhar films, Haq, Border 2, and others on the 33-film list Sheshadri referenced.

Davakhar called the honour historic for Maharashtra and Marathi cinema in an official statement quoted by The Better India, arguing the selection recognised “Maharashtra’s vibrant folk traditions” and a story rooted in the state’s soil. The Hindu reminded readers that no Indian film has won Best International Feature (formerly Best Foreign Language Film), and that only a handful of Indian-linked titles have ever been nominated in the category. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles; India’s entry must still clear the Academy’s shortlist and nomination rounds after the international-submission window.

For Marathi filmmakers and the Gondhali community the film depicts, the immediate stakes are visibility: a re-release push at home, an international rollout for the campaign, and a global frame on a ritual long performed in family courtyards rather than awards theatres. Whether Gondhal reaches the final five is still months away; representing India at all already places a folk-rooted thriller at the centre of the country’s Oscar conversation for 2027.