Mumbai, India – Marathi film Gondhal has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2027, the Film Federation of India announced on Friday. Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, the film is set in rural Maharashtra and plays out over a night of a traditional ritual centred around a newly-wed couple. The film was chosen as India’s submission for the Best International Feature category for the 99th Academy Awards from a list of 33 films, said P. Sheshadri, chairperson of the selection committee.
“This year we’ve had four Marathi films, 14 Hindi films, and other films, all the films were good. It’s a happy moment for Indian cinema, for Marathi cinema. This time the official entry is Gondhal,” Sheshadri said at a press conference. “We’ve watched 33 films in the last ten days of different languages. There were many other good films for which we were debating. Angh and Ikkis were in the top three list apart from Gondhal,” he added.
Gondhal had its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in 2025 in the Indian Panorama segment, where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director. Set against the midnight carnival of the ritualistic Gondhal dance in rural Maharashtra, the movie follows Suman, a woman trapped in an oppressive marriage, who plots a murder and an escape with her forbidden lover, blurring the lines between devotion, deception, and fate. Actor Ishita Deshmukh plays the lead role, with the film also featuring Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohani, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu, and Dhru Thoke. Veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja has scored music for the film.
The list of 33 films submitted to the FFI also included Yami Gautam’s Haq, Aditya Dhar-directed Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Hanuman Ansh, Sunny Deol-fronted Border 2, Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, Ram Charan’s Peddi, and Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur. Last year, India picked Neeraj Ghaywan’s pandemic drama Homebound for its official submission, which could not make it to the final nominations. Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be submitted for the Oscars, after Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), and Court (2015). The 99th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027.
