"It nicely depicts Indian culture."
Marathi film Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards.
The announcement was made in Mumbai on September 18, 2026, by the Film Federation of India.
Santosh Davakhar’s film was picked from more than 30 films that were in contention this year.
A total of 33 films had entered the race to represent India at the upcoming Academy Awards.
The contenders included Main Vaapas Aaunga, Border 2 and films from the Dhurandhar series.
A 14 member selection committee headed by filmmaker P Sheshadri made the final decision.
The committee included Vijay Patkar, Hitu Kanodia, Sanjib Parasar, Shanth Kumar and Narasimha Nandi.
It also comprised Sanjay Patil, VJ Sabu Joseph, Anil Thomas, Vasanth and Viveck Vaswani.
Actor Tannishtha Chatterjee, production designer Bijon Dasgupta and producer Firdausul Hasan were also part of the jury.
FFI president Abhay Sinha, secretary Dharmendra Mehra and treasurer Sangram Shirke attended the announcement event.
Patron TP Agarwal, vice president Hirachand, Nishant Ujjwal and chairman P Sheshadri were also present there.
Jury member Firdausul Hasan said the film stood out in every aspect.
He said: “It nicely depicts Indian culture; the photography and music are extraordinary.
“It was unanimously decided by the jury that it will represent India at the Academy.”
Sources have also confirmed that Ikkis and Angh made it to the jury’s top three films.
Gondhal stars Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu in key roles.
The film is set against the backdrop of the traditional Maharashtrian Gondhal ritual.
This ritual is a night-long folk performance that combines music, dance and mythology.
The story begins as a wedding celebration before slowly turning into something far darker.
It gradually unfolds into a tale of desire, jealousy, betrayal and buried tensions within a village.
The film marked the feature debut of director Santosh Davakhar in the Marathi film industry.
It premiered at the International Film Festival of India in Goa earlier during its festival run.
There, the film won the Silver Peacock for Special Jury Recognition at the prestigious festival.
However, its theatrical journey was far more modest compared to its success at film festivals.
Released in November 2025, the film opened to limited numbers at the box office.
Trade reports had described its overall theatrical performance as fairly subdued during that period.
This selection, however, is only the first step in the long road towards the Oscars.
The Academy will now conduct its International Feature Film voting process for the category.
That process will first lead to a 15-film shortlist before the final selection.
Five films will eventually be chosen as the final nominees in the category.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027.
