Marathi cinema has returned to the international spotlight as Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India announced the selection on September 18, 2026, choosing the 117-minute Marathi thriller from 33 submitted films. The decision is significant beyond the Oscar campaign, as Gondhal becomes only the fourth Marathi-language film chosen to represent India.
The Marathi milestone stretches back to Shwaas, which became India’s official submission in 2004, followed by Harishchandrachi Factory in 2009 and Court in 2015. Gondhal now joins that select group, giving Marathi cinema another opportunity to take a story rooted in Maharashtra’s culture to a worldwide audience. As with the earlier films, being selected as India’s entry is different from receiving an Academy nomination.
A major creative attraction is the film’s music by legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja. His score accompanies a thriller built around the traditional Gondhal ritual, a form of Marathi folk performance combining music, dance and mythology. That setting gives the film a distinct cultural identity, while the music helps shape the tension surrounding its characters and their increasingly dangerous choices.
Gondhal also stands out for how tightly its story is contained. The official IFFI film guide lists the film at 117 minutes and describes a midnight carnival of dance, music and myth in rural Maharashtra. The narrative unfolds during this ritual night, following Suman, a woman trapped in a wealthy marriage, whose forbidden love for Gondhali performer Saheba pushes her toward a dangerous plan. Her actions draw Anand’s obsessed cousin Sarjerao into the scheme, turning a night of devotion into one of deception, risk and escalating danger.
The Oscar selection came from a field of 33 films representing several Indian languages. The submissions included Border 2, 120 Bahadur and Hanuman Ansh, placing Gondhal alongside highly anticipated mainstream projects as well as regional films. While reports have described the selection as a notable choice from a varied field, the claim that a 14-member FFI jury unanimously voted for Gondhal has not been established by the authoritative sources available and therefore should not be treated as confirmed.
For Santosh Davakhar, the Oscar selection also builds on recognition earned before the film entered this year’s international awards race. At the 56th International Film Festival of India in 2025, Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director for Gondhal. The official Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announcement said the IFFI jury praised the film for its command of tradition, form and narrative precision.
Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, Gondhal features Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni and Kishor Kadam, alongside Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu. The film uses a traditional ritual as the setting for a story involving marriage, desire, betrayal and difficult choices, allowing its cultural backdrop to remain central to the drama rather than simply serving as decoration.
Its festival recognition had already established a foundation for this moment. Gondhal premiered at IFFI 2025, where its blend of local tradition and suspense received attention from the festival jury. That recognition now gives the Oscar selection another chapter in its journey forward.
Gondhal’s selection is the beginning of its Academy journey, not its final destination. The film will now enter the International Feature Film process ahead of the March 14, 2027 ceremony. Whether it advances further will depend on the Academy’s voting process, but its selection has already placed a Marathi story shaped by Maharashtra’s folk traditions on one of cinema’s most prominent global platforms. For Santosh Davakhar and Marathi cinema, that journey itself represents a significant new chapter.
