Marathi feature film Gondhal has been named as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards. The announcement was made in Mumbai on Friday, September 18, by the Film Federation of India (FFI).
Released in theatres in November last year, director Santosh Davakhar’s film was selected from a list of 33 films submitted for consideration this year. These included 14 Hindi films, five Marathi films, four Telugu films, three Tamil films, two Gujarati films, and one each in Malayalam, Nepali and Konyak, along with a silent film and a Hindi-Rajasthani entry.
Starring Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni and others, Gondhal is set against the backdrop of the traditional Maharashtrian Gondhal ritual, a night-long folk performance involving music, dance and mythology. What begins as a wedding celebration gradually turns into a tale of desire, jealousy, betrayal and buried tensions within a village.
The film marks Davakhar’s feature directorial debut. It premiered at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where it won the Silver Peacock for Special Jury recognition.
The FFI is an apex film body responsible for picking India's official submission to the Oscars through a selection committee. Kannada director P. Sheshadri was the chairman of the 14-member jury this year.
Gondhal stole a march on several hot-favourite titles from across languages. The Hindi-language films in contention this year included Dhurandhar, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Haq, 120 Bahadur, Tera Mera Nata, Main Vaapas Aaunga, Ohh My Dog, Border 2, Khoonta, Governor, 2020 Delhi, Ikkis, Obsess and Hanuman Ansh. The Marathi entries besides Gondhal were Ladoo, Deool Band 2, Tighee and Man Aatle Manaatle.
The Telugu films in contention were Sing Geetham, Peddi, Irumudi and Egwa, while the Tamil-language entries were Dorothy, Bison Kalaamadan and Commando Vin Love Story. The two Gujarati films were Bhamardo and Pravas. The remaining entries were Malayalam film Balan The Boy, Nepali-language drama Shape of Momo, Konyak-language film Angh (set in Nagaland) and the silent film Gandhi Talks. Independent feature Dug Dug was listed as a Hindi/Rajasthani film.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences will conduct its International Feature Film voting process in the upcoming months, narrowing the official entries to a 15-film shortlist before selecting the final five nominees.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14, 2027.