Marathi cinema has another major moment on the international stage. Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, giving the Marathi-language thriller a chance to represent the country at the Oscars in 2027. The Film Federation of India selected the film from 33 submissions, with the announcement made on September 18.
The selection puts a story rooted in rural Maharashtra and the traditional Gondhal ritual into the international conversation. Rather than building its narrative around a familiar metropolitan setting, the film uses a culturally specific celebration as the backdrop for a dark thriller involving love, jealousy, betrayal and murder. It is also not Davakhar’s first major recognition for the film, as he won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India in 2025.
What Is Gondhal About?
Set in rural Maharashtra, Gondhal takes place against the atmosphere of the traditional midnight Gondhal ritual, a folk-performance tradition associated with music, dance, storytelling and mythology. The film turns that culturally rich setting into the backdrop for a much darker personal drama. At the centre is Suman, played by Ishita Deshmukh, a young woman trapped in a marriage with wealthy Anand, portrayed by Yogesh Sohoni.
Suman’s seemingly comfortable life does not give her the freedom or happiness she wants. Her relationship with Saheba, a Gondhali performer, becomes the catalyst for a dangerous plan as she attempts to escape her marriage. To execute that plan, she draws Anand’s obsessive cousin Sarjerao into the situation, setting off a chain of events that eventually leads to murder and forces the characters into an increasingly dangerous struggle.
The film stars Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir in key roles. Written and directed by Davakhar, the 117-minute thriller uses the traditional setting not simply as decoration but as an important part of the atmosphere surrounding the story.
That combination of local culture and a tense thriller narrative is one of the elements that has helped Gondhal stand apart during its journey through the festival circuit. The film’s Oscar selection now gives that regional setting a much larger international platform.
Gondhal Already Has Major Festival Recognition
The Oscar selection did not come out of nowhere. Gondhal had already attracted attention at the 56th IFFI in Goa, where Santosh Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director. The official Press Information Bureau record says the jury praised the film for its command of tradition, form and narrative precision.
The IFFI jury described the film as a cinematic work rooted in cultural tradition and praised its ability to keep audiences engaged and surprised. That recognition was particularly significant because Gondhal was Davakhar’s feature debut, giving the filmmaker a major festival honour before the film was chosen as India’s Oscar entry.
The festival recognition also provides useful context for the Oscar selection. Gondhal is not entering the Academy race solely because it represents a regional language or cultural tradition; it had already received recognition from an international festival jury for its filmmaking. The Oscar journey now gives the film another opportunity to introduce its storytelling and cultural setting to audiences outside India.
For Marathi cinema, the moment also has a clear historical connection. Gondhal becomes the fourth Marathi film selected as India’s official Oscar entry, following Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court.
Gondhal’s Oscar Journey Has Only Just Begun
Being selected as India’s official entry does not mean Gondhal has secured an Oscar nomination. The film now enters the Academy’s International Feature Film process, where the field is narrowed before the final nominations are announced. India has previously had three films reach the final nomination stage in the category: Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan.
The distinction matters because the national selection is an important milestone, but it is only the beginning of the Academy journey. Gondhal will have to compete with international submissions from other countries before the eventual shortlist and nominations are determined.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Gondhal will therefore have several months to build international visibility around its Oscar campaign and its distinctive Marathi cultural setting.
The film’s selection also arrives after last year’s Indian entry, Homebound, which did not make the final International Feature Film nominations. Gondhal now carries India’s submission into the 2027 Oscar race with a very different kind of story, one that places a traditional Maharashtrian ritual at the centre of a thriller.
Why Gondhal Matters For Marathi Cinema
Gondhal’s biggest talking point may ultimately be the way it connects regional culture with a genre that audiences everywhere can understand. Love, marital conflict, betrayal, obsession and murder do not require extensive cultural explanation, while the Gondhal ritual gives the story a setting and identity that are specifically rooted in Maharashtra.
That combination can make regional cinema particularly interesting on an international platform. Instead of removing local elements to make a story feel universal, Gondhal places those elements at the heart of its narrative. The result is a film where the cultural setting and the thriller structure operate alongside each other.
The film’s previous festival recognition suggests that this approach has already attracted attention from a jury outside the mainstream commercial circuit. Davakhar’s Silver Peacock at IFFI recognised his direction, while the Oscar selection now places the film in India’s official international campaign.
For Marathi cinema, the significance goes beyond one film. Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court have previously carried Marathi storytelling into India’s Oscar selection process, and Gondhal now becomes the fourth title to join that list. Its next challenge will be turning this national recognition into a place on the Academy’s final shortlist and, potentially, the eventual nominations.
Gondhal Oscars 2027 FAQs
What is Gondhal?
Gondhal is a Marathi thriller written and directed by Santosh Davakhar. The film is set in rural Maharashtra against the backdrop of the traditional Gondhal ritual and follows a story involving love, betrayal, jealousy and murder.
Is Gondhal India’s official Oscar entry?
Yes. The Film Federation of India selected Gondhal as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards from 33 submissions.
Who directed Gondhal?
Santosh Davakhar wrote and directed Gondhal. He previously won the Silver Peacock for Best Director for the film at the 56th IFFI in 2025.
Who stars in Gondhal?
The film features Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir in key roles.
How many Marathi films have been selected as India’s Oscar entry?
Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film selected as India’s official Oscar entry, following Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court.
When will the 2027 Oscars take place?
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
