Marathi cinema has another reason to celebrate. Gondhal, directed by Santosh Davakhar, has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2027.

The Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the selection on Friday, choosing Gondhal from 33 films submitted for consideration. The selection adds another chapter to the growing presence of regional Indian cinema on the international stage. For Davakhar, it also follows an important recognition at home. He won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2025.

A Story Born From a Night of Ritual

Set in rural Maharashtra, Gondhal unfolds over a single night, with the traditional midnight Gondhal ritual forming the backdrop. The folk tradition combines music, dance, mythology and religious elements. The film draws on this vibrant cultural setting while weaving a tense story of love, deception and survival.

According to The Indian Express, at the centre of Gondhal is Suman, a woman caught in an unhappy marriage with Anand, a wealthy man. She falls in love with Saheba, a Gondhali performer, and begins searching for a way to escape her circumstances. But her plans take a dangerous turn when Anand’s obsessive cousin, Sarjerao, becomes involved.

What follows is a night filled with murder, desire, deception and the struggle for survival. The film features Ishita Deshmukh as Suman, alongside Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu.

33 Films, One Official Entry

The FFI selection committee considered 33 submissions from across Indian languages. Hindi films accounted for 14 entries, while Marathi, Telugu and Gujarati cinema had four submissions each. Tamil had three entries, while Malayalam and Nagamese had one each. A silent film was also among the submissions.

The jury was chaired by filmmaker P Sheshadri, with Vijay Patkar, Hutu Kanodia, Shanti Kumar, Sandeep Parashar, Sanjay Patil, Sabu Joseph, Anil Thomas, Vivek Vaswani, Bijon Dasgupta, Haasan, Vasan and Tannishtha Chatterjee as members.

Fourth Marathi Film to Get the Honour

With its selection, Gondhal becomes only the fourth Marathi-language film to represent India in the Oscars’ Best International Feature category. It follows Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) and Court (2015).

India has yet to win the Academy Award in this category. Three Indian films have previously secured nominations — Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan. Now, Gondhal carries Marathi cinema, its distinctive cultural roots and another Indian story onto the global Oscar stage.