Dashavatar Becomes First Marathi Movie To Enter Oscars 2026 Contention List

Dashavatar Becomes First Marathi Movie To Enter Oscars 2026 Contention List

Why in News? 

Recently, filmmaker Subodh Khanolkar’s Marathi film Dashavatar officially entered the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026) contention list. This inclusion marks the first time a Marathi-language film has qualified for the Academy’s main open competition category.

• Dashavatar is the first Marathi film to reach this stage, placing it among approximately 150 to 250 global titles selected for the Academy’s formal evaluation process.
• Unlike India’s official entry for Best International Feature Film (Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound), Dashavatar was independently submitted in the general categories after meeting theatrical eligibility requirements in the United States.
• Final nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 22, 2026, with the ceremony scheduled for March 15, 2026. 

About the Film “Dashavatar”

• Story & Theme: Set in the Konkan region, the film follows Babuli Mestri (played by veteran actor Dilip Prabhavalkar), an 81-year-old folk performer specializing in the traditional Dashavatara theatre, which dramatizes the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
• Cast: Features Dilip Prabhavalkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Bharat Jadhav, Siddharth Menon, Priyadarshini Indalkar, Abhinay Berde, and others.
• Production Banners: Produced under Zee Studios, Ocean Film Company, and Ocean Art House Production.
• Producer Team: Sujay Hande, Onkar Kate, Subodh Khanolkar, Ashok Hande, Aditya Joshi, Nitin Sahasrabudhe, Mrunal Sahasrabudhe, Sanjay Dubey, and Vinayak Joshi.
• Release: The film was released in Indian theatres on September 12, 2025, and is currently available for streaming on ZEE5. 

Cultural and Social Significance of Dashavatar

• Preservation of Intangible Heritage: The film serves as a modern archive for Dashavatara, an 800-year-old folk theatre form from the Konkan region and North Goa. Traditionally performed post-harvest, it dramatizes the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. By featuring veteran actors like Dilip Prabhavalkar, the film brings global visibility to a “living tradition” that is central to Maharashtra’s cultural identity. 
• Environmental Ethics and Development: A core theme is the struggle between ecological conservation and industrialization in the Western Ghats. The narrative reflects real-world resistance against mining and large-scale industrial projects in the Konkan belt. It provides a case study for the “Development vs. Environment” debate, highlighting the local community’s fight to protect biodiversity. 
• Socio-Economic Resilience of Artists: The film portrays the precarious livelihoods of traditional performers, many from the Devli community. It illustrates how folk arts are inextricably linked to agricultural cycles and rural economies, providing a secondary income for farmers. This highlights the challenges of preserving heritage in the face of migration and lack of institutional patronage. 
• Cultural Identity and Dialect: By using the local Malvani dialect and authentic regional settings, the film reinforces regional linguistic heritage. It showcases the unique “Malvani” identity and how theatre fosters a sense of collective community history. This is relevant to understanding India’s diverse regional cultures. 
• Art as Social Communication: Historically, Dashavatara theatre used comic interludes (Bharud) to address social issues. The film continues this tradition by using mythological metaphors to critique modern governance and corruption. It demonstrates how folk media remains a potent tool for social awareness and political mobilization in democratic India. 

What is the Oscars Contention List?

• About: The contention list is the formal eligibility list where films are vetted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Being “in contention” means a film has successfully met the technical and theatrical requirements to be considered for a nomination. It is the filter that narrows down thousands of global films into a “Reminder List” from which Academy members select the final nominees.

• Categories: The Awards are divided into two primary entry paths:

• General Entry: These include the “Big Five” (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) along with technical categories like Cinematography and Editing. Any film, regardless of country, can enter these if it meets theatrical requirements in the United States.

• Best International Feature Film: This is a specific category where each country is allowed to submit only one official entry. These films must be produced outside the US and have a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

• Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible for the Academy Awards, a film must adhere to strict guidelines:

• Theatrical Release: The film must have a commercial theatrical run for at least seven consecutive days in one of the six major US metropolitan areas (e.g., Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago).

• Release Window: For the 2026 cycle, films must have been released between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

• Format and Duration: The film must be over 40 minutes in length and exhibited in 35mm or 70mm film, or a qualifying 24-frame or 48-frame digital format with a specific resolution.

• Theatrical First: The film cannot have its first public distribution via streaming or television; a theatrical-first release is mandatory.

• Selection Process: The path from submission to the trophy involves four distinct stages:

• Submission and Verification: Producers submit their films for review. The Academy verifies that all technical and theatrical rules were followed.

• The Reminder List: Verified films are placed on an official list and uploaded to the Academy Screening Room, a private streaming platform for the roughly 10,000 Academy members.

• Shortlisting: For specific categories (like International Feature or Documentary), a preliminary round of voting creates a Shortlist (usually 15 films).

• Nomination Voting: Members of specific branches (e.g., actors vote for actors) cast secret ballots to determine the final 5 nominees per category. For Best Picture, all members vote.

List of Indian Academy Award Winners 

As of 2026, Indian individuals and productions have secured 10 Oscars, including both competitive and honorary awards. 

• Bhanu Athaiya (1983): Won Best Costume Design for the film Gandhi; she was the first Indian to win a competitive Academy Award.
• Satyajit Ray (1992): Received an Honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement in cinema and profound influence on filmmakers worldwide.
• Resul Pookutty (2009): Won Best Sound Mixing for the film Slumdog Millionaire.
• A.R. Rahman (2009): Won Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire.
• A.R. Rahman (2009): Won his second Oscar of the night for Best Original Song (“Jai Ho“) for Slumdog Millionaire.
• Gulzar (2009): Shared the Best Original Song Oscar with A.R. Rahman as the lyricist for “Jai Ho”.
• M.M. Keeravaani (2023): Won Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu” from the film RRR.
• Chandrabose (2023): Shared the Best Original Song Oscar with M.M. Keeravaani as the lyricist for “Naatu Naatu”.
• Kartiki Gonsalves (2023): Won Best Documentary Short Film for The Elephant Whisperers.
• Guneet Monga (2023): Shared the Best Documentary Short Film Oscar with Kartiki Gonsalves as the producer of The Elephant Whisperers.