99th Academy Awards: The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection of Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal as India’s official entry.
Published: September 18, 2026, 6:38 PM IST
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Gondhal is India’s official Oscars 2027 entry (PC- Twitter)
Marathi cinema has made it to the international stage once againSantosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection on FridayThe film was chosen from 33 contenders, with P Seshadri serving as the chairperson of the selection committee. The selection also puts Maharashtra’s cultural traditions in the spotlight, as the film’s story unfolds around the traditional Gondhal ritual.
What is Gondhal about?
Set in rural Maharashtra, Gondhal takes place over a single night during the traditional midnight Gondhal ritual. The 117-minute Marathi film has been written and directed by Santosh DavakharThe cast includes Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir. The story follows Suman, played by Ishita Deshmukh, who appears to have a comfortable life with her wealthy husband Anand, played by Yogesh SohoniHowever, she is unhappy with her marriage.
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Suman falls in love with Saheba, a Gondhali performer, and decides to find a way out of her marriageShe involves Anand’s cousin Sarjerao, played by Nishad Bhoir, in her plan. What starts as an attempt to escape her unhappy marriage takes a dark turn when murder enters the storySuman is then forced to deal with love, betrayal, manipulation and a fight for survival.
Santosh Davakhar’s previous recognition
Gondhal has already received recognition on the festival circuitDavakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The film’s Oscar selection now gives the Marathi production a much wider international platform.
Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to represent India
With Gondhal, four Marathi films have now been selected as India’s official entries for the OscarsEarlier, Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) and Court (2015) represented India in the Academy Awards race.
However, India is yet to win the Best International Feature Film award, formerly known as the Best Foreign Film category.
Last year, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, was selected as India’s official Oscar entryThe film, however, did not make it to the final list of nominees in the category.
