The Santosh Davakhar-directed thriller, rooted in Maharashtra’s traditional Gondhal ritual, has been selected from 33 films to represent India in the Best International Feature Film race at the 99th Academy Awards.
Mumbai, Maharashtra — Marathi cinema has secured the spotlight on one of the world’s biggest film stages. Gondhal, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, has been selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2027, where it will compete in the Best International Feature Film category.
The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection on September 18 after considering 33 films submitted for the country’s Oscar entry. The choice puts a distinctly Maharashtrian story, built around an indigenous ritual tradition, at the centre of India’s international awards campaign.
For Marathi cinema, the selection carries an additional significance: Gondhal becomes the fourth Marathi film to be chosen as India’s official Oscar entry, following Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court.
Gondhal Selected as India’s Oscar Entry From 33 Films
The 2027 Oscar selection process drew submissions from across India’s multilingual film industry. Reports said the 33-film field included films in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil and other Indian languages, reflecting the breadth of the country’s contemporary cinema.
The FFI selection committee, chaired by filmmaker P. Sheshadri, ultimately chose Davakhar’s Marathi thriller for the International Feature Film category.
The selection does not automatically mean an Oscar nomination. Gondhal must now enter the Academy’s international feature-film selection process, which includes a shortlist before the final nominees are determined. The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.
What Is Gondhal? The Maharashtra Ritual Behind India’s Oscar 2027 Entry
The film’s title refers to Gondhal, a traditional Maharashtrian ritual performance combining devotional music, singing, dance, storytelling and the worship of deities.
Usually performed as a night-long ceremony, Gondhal is closely associated with Maharashtra’s folk and religious traditions. The practice has now gained an entirely different kind of visibility as the cultural setting for India’s official Oscar 2027 entry.
That cultural foundation gives the film an identity beyond a conventional awards-season story. It places a regional tradition at the heart of a contemporary thriller and gives international audiences a cinematic entry point into a lesser-known aspect of Maharashtra’s cultural landscape.
A Rural Maharashtra Story With a Darker Edge
Set in rural Maharashtra, Gondhal unfolds around a traditional ritual involving a newly married couple. The narrative explores relationships, desire, jealousy, betrayal and the tensions that emerge when personal aspirations collide with deeply rooted social traditions.
The cast includes Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu, among others.
The film was released theatrically in November 2025, but its festival journey helped establish its credentials well before the Oscar announcement.
Santosh Davakhar’s Festival Recognition Strengthened Gondhal’s Oscar Journey
Davakhar is not entering the Oscar race without prior festival recognition.
At the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2025, the filmmaker received the Silver Peacock for Best Director for Gondhal. The film has also received recognition at other film festivals, including events in Bengaluru and Pune.
That festival record has become an important part of the film’s story. While commercial performance and awards recognition are separate measures, Gondhal had already attracted attention within the festival circuit before the FFI selected it as India’s Oscar submission.
The film’s music also brings a major name from Indian cinema: veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja is credited with the score.
Why Gondhal Matters for Marathi Cinema
The Oscar selection once again puts regional Indian cinema in the international conversation.
India’s film industry is often discussed through the enormous reach of Hindi cinema, but the country’s Oscar submissions have repeatedly drawn from different linguistic and cultural traditions. Gondhal continues that pattern by placing a Marathi-language story and a Maharashtra-specific cultural practice before an international audience.
Its selection also follows earlier Marathi Oscar entries such as Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court.
The significance is therefore twofold: Gondhal is both India’s Oscar 2027 entry and a new international showcase for Marathi storytelling.
What Happens Next for Gondhal at the Oscars?
Being named India’s official entry is the beginning of the Academy journey, not the final nomination.
The film will compete in the International Feature Film selection process. The Academy will first narrow the field to a shortlist before announcing the final nominees.
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
For now, the immediate milestone belongs to Marathi cinema: Gondhal has moved from Maharashtra’s cultural landscape to the international Oscar race, carrying with it a story shaped by rural life, traditional performance and the tensions between individual desire and inherited customs.
India’s Oscar 2027 journey now has a Marathi voice—and it begins with Gondhal.
