Director Santosh Davakhar has reacted to his Marathi thriller ‘Gondhal’ being selected as India’s official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India (FFI) chose the film for the Best International Feature Film category from 33 submissions. Davakhar, who wrote and directed the film, said he and his team had believed in its chances even before the selection was announced.
Santosh Davakhar recalls confidence in ‘Gondhal’
‘Gondhal’ is rooted in Maharashtra’s traditional Gondhal ritual and folk-performance culture. Reflecting on the film’s Oscar selection, Davakhar said the team had been confident about its potential while making and submitting the project.“We were confident while making and submitting the film that we will be India’s official entry for the Oscars. I’m proud to represent India with my film,” Davakhar, who also wrote the story and screenplay, told PTI.The Oscar selection adds to the film’s festival recognition. Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2025. The jury praised the film for its handling of tradition, form and narrative precision.
‘Gondhal’ explores Maharashtra’s folk tradition
Set in rural Maharashtra, the thriller unfolds over one night against the backdrop of the traditional Gondhal ritual, a folk-performance form associated with music, dance, mythology and religious traditions. The ritual serves as both a cultural setting and an important element of the film’s narrative. The story follows Suman, a newly married woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, whose relationship with a Gondhali performer sets off a chain of desire, deception and violence. The film explores the intersection of tradition, personal aspirations, relationships and human vulnerability. The cast includes Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Kishor Kadam, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu and Vitthal Kale.
‘Gondhal’ selected from 33 films for Oscars 2027
The Film Federation of India selected ‘Gondhal’ from 33 films submitted for consideration. The submissions represented multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam and Nagamese, while a silent film was also among the entries. Filmmaker P Sheshadri chaired the selection committee. With its selection, ‘Gondhal’ becomes the fourth Marathi-language film to be chosen as India’s official Oscar entry. Earlier Marathi selections were ‘Shwaas’ (2005), ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ (2009) and ‘Court’ (2015).
‘Gondhal’ heads into the Oscars 2027 process
The selection as India’s official entry is the first stage of the Academy Awards journey. ‘Gondhal’ will now enter the Academy’s International Feature Film process, which includes the shortlist stage before the final nominations are announced. The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Devendra Fadnavis congratulates the ‘Gondhal’ team
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also congratulated the team following the film’s selection. He described the development as a moment of pride for Marathi cinema and highlighted the film’s connection with Maharashtra’s cultural traditions. His comments followed the FFI’s announcement of ‘Gondhal’ as India’s official Oscar submission.