Santosh Davakhar has responded to the filmmaker’s comments on India’s Oscar process and shared why he believes Gondhal deserves to be seen before being assessed.
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Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar responds to Anurag Kashyap (PC: Twitter)
The debate around India’s Oscar selection has taken another turn after filmmaker Santosh Davakhar responded to Anurag Kashyap‘s recent commentsDavakhar, whose Marathi film Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, has asked audiences to see the film before forming an opinion about its selectionHis response also brought up a personal interaction with Kashyap earlier this yearAccording to Davakhar, he had introduced Gondhal to the filmmaker during a flight but the film had not yet been publicly screened in MumbaiThe director has now urged viewers to judge the film after watching it rather than relying only on the ongoing debate.
Santosh Davakhar asks audiences to watch Gondhal
Davakhar responded after Kashyap criticised the process through which films are selected to represent India at the OscarsHe recalled meeting Kashyap on a Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on April 26 and said he had introduced him to Gondhal during the journey.
“I deeply respect Anurag Kashyap Sir and his filmmakingOn the Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on April 26 at 23:55, I introduced GONDHAL to himHe said he hadn’t heard of or watched it but would definitely do soSince then, it has neither been publicly available nor screened in Mumbai,” Davakhar said.
The filmmaker then made a direct appeal to audiences to watch the movie before reaching a conclusion about its Oscar selection.
What Santosh Davakhar said about Gondhal
Davakhar described Gondhal as a psychological thriller rooted in Marathi culture while also aiming for a wider audienceHe also highlighted that the film comes from a debut filmmaker who is not from the traditional film fraternity.
“My humble request to all audiences, please watch the film before passing a verdictMade by a debut filmmaker from outside the film fraternity, GONDHAL is a psychological thriller blending Marathi culture with global appealIt is created for the big screen — not OTTWe understand the responsibility of representing India and will not let our country downPlease watch it in theatres upon its upcoming re-release and stand behind us as we face the world,” he added.
What Anurag Kashyap said about India’s Oscar entries
Kashyap recently discussed India’s Oscar track record and attributed the country’s struggles in the Best International Feature Film category to the selection processHe referred to films such as The Lunchbox and All We Imagine As Light while discussing movies that he believed could have been selected.
“Because we select absolutely wrong filmsEven if we did have the chance to select the right ones like ‘The Lunchbox’ and ‘All We Imagine As Light,’ we messed it up.”
Kashyap also spoke about Homebound, which was India’s official submission last year and reached the Final 15 shortlistHe then referred to Gondhal and said, “Now there is ‘Gondhal.’ Let’s see what happens.” He also suggested that Gondhal should first gain festival exposure before a major awards campaign is undertaken.
Gondhal represents India at the Oscars
Gondhal, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, was chosen by the Film Federation of India from 33 submissions to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
The Marathi thriller is set in rural Maharashtra and draws from the traditional Gondhal ritual and the region’s folk-performance heritageThe cast of the film features Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, and Anuj Prabhu in pivotal roles.
