Marathi film 'Gondhal' selected as India's official Oscar 2027 entry

Marathi cinema has received major news. The Marathi film 'Gondhal', directed by Santosh Dawkhar, has been chosen as India's official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, or Oscars 2027. The announcement was made by the Film Federation of India (FFI). 'Gondhal' will now represent India in the Best International Feature Film category, a development seen as a big moment for Marathi cinema.

'Gondhal' is a thriller film, but its story is rooted in local tradition. In Maharashtra, a gondhal ritual is performed after a wedding, or to resolve difficulties in the life of a newly married couple. The tradition is practised in around 80 percent of Maharashtra. The film 'Kantara' was based on a tradition from 20 percent of Karnataka, and 'Dashavatar' is known in the Konkan region, but 'Gondhal' is celebrated across all of Maharashtra. This is said to be the film's biggest strength.

The film is not based solely on a religious ritual. It also portrays superstition, domestic conflicts, tangled relationships, changing social attitudes and the inner turmoil, or gondhal, of the human mind. For this reason, the film is expected to connect not just with Marathi audiences but with viewers worldwide. The film's presentation is described as grand, with camera work, background music and technical aspects said to be of a very high standard, presenting Marathi culture strongly to the world.

Every year the FFI selects one Indian film to send to the Oscars. This time several Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam films were also in contention, but 'Gondhal' won out. This is attributed to the film's subject, since films rooted in local soil and culture tend to draw more attention at the Oscars. 'Gondhal' is seen as original and not a copy of any other film.

The film features veteran Marathi actors including Kishore Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu, Suresh Vishwakarma, Madhavi Juvekar, Aishwarya Shinde, Kailash Waghmare, Prabhakar Mathpati, Vitthal Kale, Praveen Dalimbkar, Sharad Jadhav, Poonam Patil and Prashant Deshpande in lead roles. Kishore Kadam's performance is described as powerful, as always.

Marathi films have won National Awards before, but becoming the official Oscar entry is a different achievement altogether, one that will take Marathi cinema to a global stage. The process now moves forward, with the film to be screened before the Oscar jury. From films submitted worldwide, a shortlist of 15 and then a final five will be chosen. If 'Gondhal' makes it that far, it will be considered a big win in itself. Santosh Dawkhar and his entire team are being widely praised, and 'Gondhal' is trending on social media.

A total of 33 films were part of the selection process, including 14 Hindi, 4 Marathi, 4 Telugu, 4 Gujarati, 3 Tamil, 1 Malayalam, 1 Naga and 1 silent film.