By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
MUMBAI, India | September 19, 2026 — Marathi film Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2027 in the Best International Feature Film category, giving regional cinema another major moment on the global stage.
The Film Federation of India chose Gondhal from a pool of 33 submitted films to represent the country at the 99th Academy Awards. Directed by Santosh Davakhar, the Marathi film now moves into India’s Oscar campaign as one of the country’s most talked-about festival-backed titles of the year.
The selection is significant not only for the film’s Oscar journey, but also for Marathi cinema, which continues to build a strong reputation for distinctive storytelling and artistic depth.
Gondhal Selected as India’s Official Oscar Entry
India sends one official film every year for consideration in the Best International Feature Film race at the Academy Awards. This year, that honour has gone to Gondhal, a Marathi-language film rooted in the traditional Gondhal ritual and folk-performance culture of Maharashtra.
The announcement immediately places the film in the international spotlight, as India begins its awards-season push ahead of the Oscars 2027.
The selection does not mean the film has received an Oscar nomination yet. It means Gondhal will represent India in the next stage of the international feature race, where it will compete for a place on the Academy’s shortlist and, later, the final nominations list.
Why Gondhal Is Drawing Attention
Gondhal had already built momentum before its Oscar selection.
The film earned recognition on the festival circuit, including acclaim for director Santosh Davakhar, who won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India in 2025.
That earlier recognition helped position the film as a serious contender in India’s official-entry race.
Its storytelling is deeply connected to local culture, but that may also be one of its biggest strengths internationally. Films that carry a strong regional identity often stand out in the Oscar race when they combine authenticity with emotional and cinematic depth.
A Big Moment for Marathi Cinema
The selection of Gondhal is also an important moment for Marathi cinema.
It becomes one of the few Marathi films to be chosen as India’s official Oscar entry, underlining the increasing visibility of regional-language films in national and international conversations.
Marathi cinema has long been respected for its writing, realism and socially rooted narratives. With Gondhal, that tradition has now found another global platform.
The decision also sends a strong message about the growing space for regional storytelling beyond mainstream Hindi cinema.
What Happens Next in the Oscar Race?
Now that Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry, the film will move into the Academy Awards submission process for the Best International Feature Film category.
From there, the Academy will review submissions from countries around the world before announcing a shortlist. The final nominees will be chosen later from that list.
So while India’s selection is an important first step, the Oscar journey is still at an early stage.
The coming months will be crucial as the film’s campaign gathers pace and attempts to build international visibility.
Why This Selection Matters
India’s official Oscar entry always generates attention because it reflects both cinematic quality and national representation.
For Gondhal, the recognition could lead to:
- wider national visibility,
- renewed interest from audiences,
- stronger international festival attention,
- and a larger conversation around Marathi cinema.
For Indian cinema as a whole, the choice also reinforces a trend that has become more visible in recent years: regional films are increasingly leading the country’s most prestigious global pushes.
End of Selection, Start of Campaign
With the official selection now confirmed, the focus shifts from domestic recognition to international campaigning.
The road to the Oscars is highly competitive, but Gondhal has already achieved a major milestone by becoming India’s chosen film for the 2027 race.
For Marathi cinema, for its makers, and for Indian film lovers, this is a proud moment.
And now the bigger question begins: Can Gondhal turn India’s official entry into an Oscar nomination run?
