Marathi thriller Gondhal has been chosen as India’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Friday. The Santosh Davakhar directorial will compete for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category.
The film emerged as the jury’s selection from a field of 33 submissions, including the Hindi-language titles Dhurandhar, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Haq, 120 Bahadur, Border 2 and Hanuman Ansh. The shortlist also featured films from Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam and Nagamese cinema, alongside a silent film.
Davakhar, who will take Gondhal to the Academy Awards, was previously recognised with the Silver Peacock Award at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2025.
This year’s selection process was overseen by a 13-member jury comprising P Sheshadri, Vijay Patkar, Hutu Kanodia, Shanti Kumar, Sandeep Parashar, Sanjay Patil, Sabu Joseph, Anil Thomas, Vivek Vaswani, Bijon Dasgupta, Haasan Vasan and Tannishtha Chatterjee.
Among the other films submitted were Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur, Chidambaram’s Balan The Boy, Gandhi Talks, Bison: Kaalamadan, Shape of Momo, Governor, 2020 Delhi, Ikkis, Pravas, Man Aatale Manaatle, Obsess, Egwa, Angh, Dug Dug, Bhamardo, Sing Geetham, Tera Mera Nata, Ladoo, Ohh My Dog!, Deool Band 2, Tighi, Peddi, Irumudi, Dorothy, Khoonta, Commando Vin Love Story and Dhurandhar.
What is Gondhal about?
In Santosh Davakhar’s film, the traditional Gondhal performance is more than a backdrop. The ritual drives the story and becomes closely woven into its themes of desire, deception and danger.
As per the official IFFI synopsis, the film unfolds during a midnight Gondhal ceremony in rural Maharashtra. Ishita Deshmukh plays Suman, a woman caught in a wealthy but stifling marriage. Her encounter with Saheba, a charismatic Gondhali performer, initially offers her a way out. But her attempt at escape soon takes a darker turn, drawing her into manipulation, deceit and a murder plot involving her husband’s cousin. Against the backdrop of the all-night ritual, faith, relationships, betrayal and violence begin to converge.
The tradition was central to Davakhar’s conception of the film. Having grown up watching Gondhal performances, the filmmaker eventually began developing a story that would place the ritual at its heart rather than treating it simply as cultural ornamentation.
The 99th Academy Awards will be held on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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