Oscars 2027: Marathi Thriller Gondhal Selected as India’s Official Entry

Oscars 2027: Marathi Thriller Gondhal Selected as India’s Official Entry

General Studies Paper II: International Recognition, Awards

Why in News?

Recently, Marathi thriller “Gondhal” became India’s official Oscar 2027 entry, highlighting Marathi cinema’s growing international visibility.

Highlights of India’s Official Oscar 2027 Entry 

• Film Name: The Marathi-language thriller “Gondhal” has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards (Oscar 2027) in the International Feature Film category.
  • The Film Federation of India (FFI) made the announcement on 18 September 2026, selecting it from 33 submitted films.
    • The  14-member selection committee was chaired by filmmaker P. Sheshadri. 
• Director: The film was written and directed by Santosh Davakhar.
• Story: Set in rural Maharashtra, the film unfolds over a single night during a traditional Gondhal ritual associated with a newly married couple.
  • The narrative combines marital conflict, desire, deception, violence and escape, using the ritual setting as an important dramatic framework.
  • It includes Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir, among other prominent actors.
    • The film was released theatrically on 14 November 2025, while veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja is credited with its music. 
• Recognition: Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to be selected as India’s official Oscar entry.
  • Past selections include Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), and Court (2015).
• Awards:
  • 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025: Won the Silver Peacock Award for Best Director for Santosh Davakhar.
  • 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2026: Won the FIPRESCI Award.
  • Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) 2026: Won Best Director and Best Cinematographer.
  • 22nd Third Eye Asian International Film Festival 2026: Won Best Director.
  • Filmfare Awards Marathi 2026: Won multiple technical and main honors including Best Screenplay (Santosh Davakhar), Best Background Score (Ilaiyaraaja), Best Cinematography (Amalendu Chaudhary), Best Sound Design (Jayesh Dhakan), Best Debut Actor (Nishad Bhoir), and Best Debut Female (Ishita Deshmukh). 
• Next Stage: Gondhal will enter the Academy’s International Feature Film selection process, which includes a shortlist before the final nominations are announced.
  • The Academy’s 15-film International Feature Film shortlist is scheduled for 15 December 2026, nominations for 21 January 2027, and the 99th Oscars ceremony for 14 March 2027. 

About Gondhal

• The word Gondhal refers to a distinctive religious folk ritual-performance tradition of Maharashtra. It combines devotional music, dance, storytelling and ritual elements.
  • It is associated particularly with the worship of Goddess Durga Bhavani and Khandoba, an important deity in Maharashtra’s religious-cultural landscape. 
• Gondhal has traditionally been performed on auspicious occasions, including weddings.
  • Gondhali performers may be invited to the household, where the performance invokes divine blessings and seeks protection from misfortune. 
• The tradition incorporates singing, percussion, dancing, costumes and dramatic storytelling. 
• Traditional Gondhal performances involve figures known as Vaghya and Murali, associated with devotional service to the deity.
  • Their presence illustrates the ritual’s combination of religious devotion and performative roles.

What Are the Academy Awards?

• About: The Academy Awards, popularly called the Oscars, are annual awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize achievements in filmmaking.
  • The Academy is a professional organization representing multiple branches of the global film industry. 
• Establishment: The Academy was founded in May 1927 by 36 film-industry figures, including Louis B. Mayer, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.
  • The inaugural ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. It handed out 12 initial awards.
  • The Academy currently has more than 11,000 members organized across 19 professional branches, from multiple professionals.
    • Membership is invitation-based and governed by the Board of Governors. 
• Categories: The ceremony features 24 competitive categories encompassing acting, directing, writing, and technical design. The most coveted are the “Big Five” awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
  • A new category for Achievement in Casting debuts in 2026, followed by Stunt Design in 2027.
• Trophy: Winners receive a 13.5-inch gold-plated bronzestatuette officially named the Academy Award of Merit.
  • Designed by Cedric Gibbons, the iconic figure depicts a knight holding a sword standing on a reel of film, representing five original industry branches.
• Eligibility: The Academy defines an international feature film as a feature-length motion picture exceeding 40 minutes, produced outside the United States, with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
  • Films must satisfy applicable theatrical exhibition, submission, format and clearance requirements. 
  • The Academy rules also exclude works that are essentially promotional or instructional and certain episodic or non-feature formats. 
  • For International Feature Film, countries generally designate an official selection through their recognized national selection mechanism.
• Selection Process: Once a country submits its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category:
  • The Academy reviews all global submissions to ensure they meet strict eligibility and language rules.
  • The Preliminary Committee watches the approved pool and votes by secret ballot to create a shortlist of 15 films.
  • The Nominating Committee views all 15 shortlisted films to vote for the final 5 nominees.
  • All active Academy members watch the 5 nominees and vote to determine the ultimate Oscar winner.

India at the Oscars

• 1958 (30th Academy Awards):Mehboob Khan’s epic Mother India secured India’s first-ever nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film (now Best International Feature Film) category.
  • It famously lost the award to Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria by a margin of just one vote.
• 1961 (33rd Academy Awards): Ismail Merchant earned a nomination in the Best Short Subject (Live Action) category for the film The Creation of Woman.
• 1969 (41st Academy Awards): Fali Bilimoria was nominated in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category for The House That Ananda Built.
• 1978 (50th Academy Awards): Ishu Patel received a nomination for Bead Game in the Best Animated Short Film category.
• 1979 (51st Academy Awards): K.K. Kapil was nominated for An Encounter with Faces in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category.
• 1983 (55th Academy Awards):Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award, securing the Oscar for Best Costume Design for her work on Richard Attenborough’s British-Indian co-production, Gandhi.
  • In the same year, legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar was nominated for Best Original Score for the same film.
• 1989 (61st Academy Awards): Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! earned India its second nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, highlighting the grim realities of street children in Mumbai.
• 1992 (64th Academy Awards): Satyajit Ray was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement, making him the first and only Indian filmmaker to receive this recognition for his profound impact on world cinema.
• 2002 (74th Academy Awards): Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan achieved India’s third nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, utilizing the framework of sports and anti-colonial resistance.
• 2005 (77th Academy Awards): Ashvin Kumar was nominated in the Best Live Action Short Film category for his short film Little Terrorist.
• 2009 (81st Academy Awards): India achieved historic competitive success through the British-Indian production Slumdog Millionaire.
  • Resul Pookutty won the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing. Gulzar won Best Original Song for writing the lyrics to “Jai Ho“. A.R. Rahman made history by winning two Oscars in a single night for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Jai Ho”), making him the only Indian dual-winner.
• 2011 (83rd Academy Awards): A.R. Rahman earned two additional nominations for the British-American film 127 Hours in both the Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“If I Rise”) categories.
• 2013 (85th Academy Awards): Bombay Jayashri was nominated for Best Original Song for writing the lyrics to “Pi’s Lullaby” from Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.
• 2022 (94th Academy Awards): Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing with Fire was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, tracing the journey of Dalit women running the news network Khabar Lahariya.
• 2023 (95th Academy Awards): India registered its first wins for entirely domestic productions. Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film for The Elephant Whisperers.
  • Simultaneously, M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose won Best Original Song for the global Telugu sensation “Naatu Naatu“ from the action-drama RRR. Additionally, Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film.
• 2024 (96th Academy Awards): Nisha Pahuja’s To Kill a Tiger secured a nomination in the Best Documentary Feature Film category.
• 2025 (97th Academy Awards): The 22-minute independent short film Anuja, directed by Adam J. Graves and co-produced by prominent Indian figures Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, secured an official nomination in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
  • The documentary short I Am Ready, Warden, helmed by Indian-origin filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, earned a nomination in the Best Documentary Short Film category. 
  • India’s official submission in the International Feature category, Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed satire Laapataa Ladies, failed to make the final nomination shortlist.
• 2026 (98th Academy Awards): India’s official submission in the International Feature Film category, Neeraj Ghaywan‘s critically acclaimed drama Homebound (starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa), successfully advanced to the Top 15 Oscar Shortlist out of 86 competing nations. It missed out on securing a spot in the final five nominations.
  • Five Indian feature films were declared eligible to compete for Best Picture:
    • In the documentary domain, prominent Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir achieved a historic milestone as the first woman to earn double nominations in a single year: Best Documentary Feature (for The Perfect Neighbor) and Best Documentary Short Film (for The Devil Is Busy). Ultimately, neither film won its respective category.
      • Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas also represented the nation globally as an official presenter during the main ceremony. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Why was Gondhal selected as India’s Oscar entry for 2027?

It was unanimously selected for its distinctive storytelling, cultural setting, narrative precision, and strong representation of Marathi cinema. 

2. What is the Marathi film Gondhal about?

Set in rural Maharashtra, it follows Suman’s dangerous escape from an unhappy marriage amid a traditional Gondhal ritual. 

3. Who directed the Gondhal Marathi movie?

Santosh Davakhar wrote and directed Gondhal; he also won IFFI 2025’s Silver Peacock for Best Director. 

4. Is Gondhal nominated for an Oscar 2027?

No. It is currently India’s official entry; Oscar nomination depends on the Academy’s subsequent shortlist and nomination process. 

5. Which category will Gondhal compete in at Oscars 2027?

It will compete in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. 

6. How was Gondhal selected as India’s official Oscar entry?

A 14-member FFI jury, chaired by P. Sheshadri, selected it from 33 submitted films after screenings and deliberations. 

Disclaimer: Information in this article is based on official announcements and public records. Details may evolve over time.

Also Read: Dashavatar Becomes First Marathi Movie To Enter Oscars 2026 Contention List