Marathi Thriller Gondhal Releases Global Trailer as India's Oscar Entry
The Marathi-language thriller Gondhal has launched its global trailer, a first wide look at the film India has sent forward for the Oscars. Variety reported the launch on 26 October 2026.
Marathi is the language of the Indian state of Maharashtra, in the west of the country. The film is India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars 2027, the 99th Academy Awards. Each year, countries send one film to the Academy's international feature category. The Film Federation of India chose Gondhal from a field of 33 films in contention, and NDTV reported the decision in September.
The film is set over a single night in rural Maharashtra, during a Gondhal, a folk ritual built around music and performance. Ishita Deshmukh plays Suman, a young wife in a suffocating marriage. Nishad Bhoir plays Sarjerao, the man she is involved with. Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Anuj Prabhu also appear in the cast.
Santosh Davakhar wrote and directed the film, and it is his first feature. He also produced it with Diksha Davakhar under the banner Davakhar Films. Amalendu Chaudhary handled the cinematography, and Ilaiyaraaja, the veteran composer, wrote the music and background score.
The film opens with an unbroken take lasting 25 minutes. That means one continuous shot with no cut, a technique that asks the camera and cast to hold a scene together for the full stretch. Davakhar's direction earned him the Silver Peacock for best director at the 56th International Film Festival of India, the festival's top prize in that category.
For a film heading into an awards season, a trailer is often the first chance to show international audiences what the story looks like. No release date for Gondhal outside India appears in the trailer announcement, and the Academy has not yet announced its shortlist for the 2027 international category.
