‘Gondhal’ director Santosh Davakhar: We were confident that our film will stand out

As ‘Gondhal’ gets selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2027, director Santosh Davakhar talks about making the film for the international circuit, working with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, and more

Published - September 22, 2026 05:15 pm IST

Santosh Davakhar and a still from ‘Gondhal’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After vouching for the sublimely humanistic Homeboundlast year as India’s official entry to the Oscars, the Film Federation of India (FFI) has decided to go hyper-local this time, with the selection of Santosh Davakhar’s moody folk-thriller, Gondhal. The Marathi feature was selected from a list of 33 films submitted to the FFI, which included Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, Yami Gautam’s Haq, Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, and Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy, among others. Santosh feels grateful to the FFI for recognising Gondhal. “There’s extreme nervousness now, as it is a huge responsibility on our shoulders. At the same time, we are excited and happy to be selected among so many other films,” he says.

Gondhal unfolds over a single night in a Maharashtrian village where a traditional ritualistic performance takes place for a newlywed couple. Beyond the celebratory zeal of the night, however, rising passions give rise to murderous intentions as the bride hatches a plan with her lover to rid herself of the forced marriage. The complexities are almost Shakespearean as the film takes a thrilling turn post-interval. The director says he was confident in the film's capabilities. “We made the film to appeal to an international audience, and we knew that it would stand out. That’s why we didn’t sell the film to any OTT platform, too.” Santosh adds that they are planning to re-release the film in theatres in the coming month in five languages.

The idea for Gondhal came to Santosh while travelling to international film festivals with his short films, when he had a sudden realisation. “Global perception around Indian films is that they are all about poverty and oppression. I felt that we have a rich culture and heritage which needs to be presented in a cinematic language,” says the director. The film presents a thoughtful intersection of culture and technology, opening with a 25-minute-long one-take sequence that introduces its world and major characters. Santosh, who wrote, directed and produced Gondhal, originally planned to make the entire film in a single take to bring a feeling of continuity to the night. “I was inspired by watching other one-take films like Roma, 1917 and Birdman. I even wrote Gondhal as a one-take film, going in line with the tradition of these night-long performances. But I couldn’t execute it entirely as there are multiple characters,” says Santosh.

A still from ‘Gondhal’ | Photo Credit: Rajshri Marathi/YouTube

Gondhal is the first Marathi film in 11 years to be selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars after Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (2015). It is also the fourth Marathi feature submitted for the Academy Awards after Shwaas (2005) and Harishchandrachi Factory (2009). Along with that, the film also boasts a soundtrack by maestro Ilaiyaraaja, making it his third Marathi film credit after Hello Jai Hind! (2014) and Touring Talkies (2015). Santosh says that he wanted to work with the veteran musician for his “authentic and raw understanding of folk instruments”. The composer agreed to be a part of it after Santosh explained the film in 15 minutes. “That itself was a tremendous achievement for our film. He gave 15 days to work on the film, which was gracious of him,” Santosh adds.

Despite the film’s strong technical prowess, it was sidelined during its theatrical release in December 2025. Santosh feels that its lack of popularity could be due to his choice to work with newer actors. “Audiences welcome films with familiar faces. But they are not to be blamed. After spending more than Rs 200 on a movie ticket, they would prefer watching a commercial film than a smaller, low-budget drama,” he says.

Now, Santosh has hired a team of 30-40 people for the film’s Oscars campaign. The director urges people to watch the film in theatres when it is re-released. "That will really help the Oscars campaign as there are over 10,000 voters in The Academy. The more people will watch the film and talk about it, the more its magic will spread,” he says.

Published - September 22, 2026 05:15 pm IST

Indian cinema / Marathi cinema / entertainment (general) / arts, culture and entertainment / cinema / The Hindu MetroPlus