Marathi thriller Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, emerging from a field of 33 films that included Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar and Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, as reported by The Indian Express .
Film Federation of India jury member Vivek Vaswani has now explained the reasoning behind the jury’s decision and revealed how the two Hindi films featured in the selection process.
The Indian Express reported that Gondhal was ultimately chosen after the 14-member jury considered the films on the basis of their Indian cultural identity and potential global appeal.
According to The Indian Express, Vaswani was part of the 14-member Film Federation of India jury that selected Gondhal as India’s official entry for the Oscars. Speaking to NDTV about the selection process, he said the jury had been given “very clear instructions” regarding the kind of film they were expected to choose.
“The film has to represent Indian culture and tradition in such a way that it has global appeal. So we’re talking about a film that is Indian and global. This one was,” he said.
Why Gondhal Was Chosen
Gondhal, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, is set during a single night in a remote village in Maharashtra. The film takes place against the backdrop of the traditional Gondhal ceremony, a folk ritual involving music, dance and mythology that is traditionally performed to bless a newlywed couple.
Within this cultural setting, the film develops into a story of intrigue and murder, with its suspense unfolding throughout the night as singing and dancing continue around the characters.
The Indian Express reported that Vaswani identified this combination of suspense, traditional culture, music and dance as one of the elements that distinguished Gondhal from the other submissions.
Vaswani explained the film’s distinctive approach by saying, “It’s a night of intrigue, it’s a night of murder. But that whole night is a festival and the whole night they sing and dance.
So the entire intrigue and suspense of the screenplay was covered in a layer of music and dance, which is completely Indian because it is set in a remote village in Maharashtra,” he said.
The jury member also pointed to the involvement of veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja as another factor that contributed to the film’s distinctiveness.
“And then they call Ilaiyaraaja to do the music. It just made the film unique. And it is very important for anything that we send to the Oscars to be completely unique,” he said.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that Gondhal was selected from 33 submissions for India’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature Film category. The selection marked the fourth time a Marathi-language film has been chosen to represent India at the Academy Awards.
Gondhal has also received recognition on the festival circuit. According to The Indian Express, director Santosh Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India in 2025.
Why Main Vaapas Aaunga Did Not Make the Cut
Vaswani also revealed that Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga was among the final films considered by the jury.
According to The Indian Express, the final three films under consideration were Gondhal, Naga-language film Angh and Main Vaapas Aaunga. The jury member explained that Ali’s film dealt with the trauma surrounding the Partition of India and Pakistan, and the jury discussed whether such a subject would connect with audiences in the United States.
“We thought anything to do with India-Pakistan may not resonate with the audience in America. I mean, it’s like Israel sending an anti-Palestine film,” he said.
Vaswani subsequently clarified that Main Vaapas Aaunga was not intended to be an anti-Pakistan or anti-India film. He described the film as a sensitive story about the consequences and trauma of war.
“The important thing is that Main Vaapas Aaunga talked about the trauma of war. It was not an anti-Pakistan film. It was not an anti-India film. It was a very sensitive film, the way only Imtiaz Ali can do. But it didn’t get enough votes from the jury,” he said.
The Indian Express reported that Vaswani said the film was seriously considered but ultimately did not secure enough votes to become India’s official Oscar entry.
He also disclosed the voting details from the jury’s deliberations. According to his account, Angh received 11 votes out of 14, while Gondhal eventually received a unanimous vote from the jury.
Why Dhurandhar Was Not Chosen
Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, was also among the films considered for India’s Oscar submission. The film had been one of the prominent Hindi titles in contention, but it did not receive enough support from the jury.
As reported by The Indian Express, Vaswani said Dhurandhar received four votes from the 14-member jury. When asked why the film was not selected, he gave a brief explanation.
“Couple of people liked it but we didnt think it was Oscar material.”
The comment came while Vaswani was discussing the jury’s deliberations over the various submissions. The Indian Express reported that while some jury members supported Dhurandhar, the film did not receive enough votes to advance as India’s official entry.
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and featuring Ranveer Singh, was among the Hindi-language films competing for the opportunity to represent India at the Academy Awards.
Its consideration alongside films such as Gondhal, Angh and Main Vaapas Aaunga reflected the range of genres and regional industries represented among this year’s submissions.
Gondhal Heads to the Oscars
With the jury’s decision, Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal will now represent India in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The Indian Express reported that the film was selected from 33 submissions after the Film Federation of India’s jury completed its deliberations.
The selection process brought together films from several Indian languages and regions, with Gondhal ultimately emerging as the film chosen to represent the country.
The film’s story combines a traditional Maharashtrian folk ritual with elements of mystery, suspense and murder, while its music and cultural setting remain central to the narrative.
For Vaswani, these elements helped give Gondhal the combination of Indian identity and international appeal that the jury had been instructed to consider.
The Indian Express also reported that Gondhal will now enter the Academy’s wider selection process, where it will compete with international submissions for a place on the final Best International Feature Film shortlist.
Meanwhile, The Indian Express reported that Angh has separately qualified for the Oscars race after winning the top prize in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Under the Academy’s revised eligibility rules, the Nagaland-set film can also compete in the Best International Feature category, despite not being India’s official submission
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