Marathi film Gondhal is India's official Oscars 2027 entry, takes regional cinema to the global stage

The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection on Friday, putting the spotlight on a regional story.

Marathi cinema is heading to the Oscars. Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal has been chosen as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection on Friday, bringing a Marathi film and a story rooted in Maharashtra’s cultural traditions to the international spotlight.

A Marathi film is headed to the Oscars. Gondhal has been selected as India's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

Gondhal is a thriller that unfolds against the backdrop of the traditional midnight ritual from which it takes its name. The film has already found recognition on the festival circuit, with Davakhar winning the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). P Seshadri, chairperson of the selection committee, said the film was picked as India's Oscar 2027 entry from a list of 33 contenders.

What is Gondhal about?

Set in rural Maharashtra, Gondhal unfolds over one night, against the charged atmosphere of the traditional Gondhal ritual. The 117-minute Marathi film is written and directed by Santosh Davakhar and stars Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir in key roles.

At the centre of the story is Suman (Ishita Deshmukh), a young woman living in what appears to be a comfortable marriage with wealthy Anand (Yogesh Sohoni), but is far from happy. Her life takes a turn when she falls for Saheba, a Gondhali performer. Wanting to escape her marriage, Suman comes up with a risky plan and pulls Anand's obsessed cousin Sarjerao (Nishad Bhoir) into it. What begins as an attempt to reclaim her freedom soon leads to murder, forcing Suman to navigate a dangerous mix of love, betrayal, manipulation and survival.

How many Marathi films have been sent previously to Oscars?

Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be chosen as India's official entry for the Oscars. It follows Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), Shwaas (2005) and Court (2015), which previously represented India in the race for the Academy Awards.

India is yet to win the Best International Feature Film award, a category that was earlier known as Best Foreign Film. Last year, Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound, starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor was selected as India's official entry for Oscars but it did not get selected in the final list of the category.

About Oscars 2027

The 99th Academy Awards will be held on March 14, 2027, at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, bringing the biggest names in cinema together for the annual celebration. The ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien for the third year in a row.