Gondhal's historical selection
In a significant moment for Marathi cinema, the film 'Gondhal' has been selected as India's official entry for the 'Best International Feature Film' category at the 99th Academy Awards (Oscars 2027). This announcement was made by the Film Federation of India (FFI) on Friday, 18 September 2026. Selection committee chairman P. Seshadri said that 'Gondhal' was selected unanimously among the 33 contender films.
Director Santosh Davkhar's reaction
Reacting to the achievement, the film's director Santosh Davkhar shared a congratulatory post on his Instagram. He shared a creative with the poster of 'Gondhal' which read, “Hooray! What a great news! For Team Gondhal.”
Film category and history
It is worth noting that 'Gondhal' has been selected in the 'Best International Feature Film' category, which was earlier called 'Best Foreign Language Film'. Till now no Indian film has won in this category. Last year, Neeraj Ghaywan's 'Homebound' was also selected as India's official entry for the Oscars, but it did not make it to the final nominations.
story and cast of gondhal
Written and directed by Santosh Davkhar, the film is set in rural Maharashtra. Its story revolves around a newly married couple's traditional ritual night. The film stars Suresh Vishwakarma, Kailash Waghmare and Madhavi Juvekar in lead roles.
Box office performance and IMDb rating
'Gondhal' was released in theaters on 14 November 2025, but its performance at the box office was average. According to trade tracker Sacanilc, it grossed Rs 90 lakh, while its net collection in India stood at Rs 84 lakh. However, this film has received an excellent IMDb rating of 8.9 out of 10 from 4.2 thousand registered users.
oscars 2027 date
The 99th Oscar Awards will be held on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Whereas, the nominations for Oscar 2027 will be announced on 21 January 2027.