Mumbai [India], September 25: Marathi psychological thriller Gondhal has become the centre of a fresh discussion around India’s Oscar selection process after filmmaker Anurag Kashyap questioned how the country chooses its official entry for the Academy Awards. Director Santosh Davakhar has now responded to Kashyap’s remarks, urging audiences to watch the film before forming an opinion about its Oscar prospects.
Gondhal, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, was selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Film Federation of India chose the Marathi film from 33 submissions representing different Indian languages. According to the selection details reported by Maharashtra Times, the entries included 14 Hindi films, four Marathi films, four Telugu films, four Gujarati films and movies in several other Indian languages.
The film is set against the backdrop of the traditional Maharashtrian Gondhal ceremony, a folk performance involving devotional music, singing and dance. Within that cultural setting, the story develops into a psychological thriller involving relationships, conflict and murder. The cast includes Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir, while veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja has provided the music.
The debate began after Anurag Kashyap spoke about India’s record at the Oscars in an interview with Variety India. Kashyap said he believes India has, on several occasions, selected films that were not the strongest choices for the international competition. He cited The Lunchbox and All We Imagine As Light while discussing films that, in his view, could have represented India differently.
Kashyap also spoke about the importance of international exposure before launching a major Oscar campaign. He argued that a film should ideally be seen at international festivals or have distribution and visibility in overseas markets before substantial money is spent on an awards campaign. Regarding Gondhal specifically, he acknowledged that he had not watched the film yet, and therefore said it was too early for him to give a final assessment of the movie itself.
Davakhar subsequently responded to the comments. He said he respects Kashyap and his filmmaking, and recalled meeting him on a Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on April 26. According to Davakhar, he introduced Gondhal to Kashyap during that journey and was told that the filmmaker had not heard of or watched the film but would do so. Davakhar added that the film had not been publicly available or screened in Mumbai since that meeting.
The director’s response was essentially a request to audiences to experience the film before reaching a conclusion about its selection. Davakhar described Gondhal as a psychological thriller made outside the traditional film-industry establishment and said the film attempts to connect Marathi cultural traditions with a wider international audience. He also emphasised that the movie was designed for theatrical viewing and that his team understands the responsibility of representing India at the Oscars.
The selection itself was made by a jury headed by filmmaker P. Sheshadri. Reports state that the 13-member jury examined all 33 submissions before choosing Gondhal. The film had also received recognition at the International Film Festival of India, where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director.
There is also an important development in the 2027 Oscar race involving another Indian film. Nagaland-set film Angh, directed by Theja Rio, qualified independently after winning the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival. Under changes introduced for the 99th Academy Awards, films can qualify through certain designated international festival prizes in addition to the traditional country-selection route. This means India has two films in contention for the International Feature Film category through different pathways.
The distinction is important because Gondhal remains India’s official submission selected by the Film Federation of India, while Angh gained Oscar eligibility through the Academy’s newly introduced festival-based route. Both films must still go through the Academy’s subsequent voting stages before any final nomination is determined.
For Gondhal, the immediate focus will now be its international awards campaign and upcoming theatrical re-release. The film originally released in November 2025 and is expected to return to theatres as part of its Oscar campaign. Davakhar has said that the team is prepared for the responsibility of representing Indian cinema on the international stage.
The exchange between Kashyap and Davakhar has therefore added another layer to the discussion surrounding India’s Oscar journey. Kashyap’s comments focused on the broader selection and international campaigning process, while Davakhar’s response has emphasised that Gondhal should be experienced by audiences before its selection is judged. The film’s actual Oscar journey will ultimately depend on the Academy’s voting process rather than comments made before the awards campaign progresses.
