After much anticipation, India’s official submission for the prestigious Oscars 2027 has finally been unveiled.
Following last year’s selection of Homebound, the Film Federation of India (FFI) has officially chosen Gondhal, a gripping Marathi thriller directed by Santosh Davakhar, to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Centred around rural Maharashtrian folk rituals and crafted with immersive spatial audio design, the theatrical re-release offers audiences a second chance to experience the thriller’s bold technical artistry, including its famed 25-minute continuous single shot—on the big screen before its official Oscar campaign kicks off. Speaking exclusively to Zee News Digital, lead actor Ishita Deshmukh revealed that the team is thrilled to bring the cinematic spectacle back to auditoriums in its original language as well as dubbed versions, including Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
“My director did have this vision,” Deshmukh explained. “There were more than 50 audio recorders on set,” she revealed. In an exclusive conversation with Zee News Digital, Gondhal lead actor Ishita Deshmukh opened up about her emotional reaction to the news, the film’s extraordinary technical craftsmanship, and what this milestone selection means for Indian cinema. For Ishita Deshmukh, news of the Academy Award submission didn’t come in a sleek conference room or through a formal press briefing, it arrived right at home, amidst the festive warmth of the Ganpati celebrations. director Santosh Davakhar had his sights set on an international stage from the film’s inception While the news surprised many. “When we started, he spoke to us about where he wanted to take this movie—how he wanted to represent the story of India, of Maharashtra, and of our culture internationally. we kept that approach in mind: that we were trying to do something unique While working. This commitment to meticulous detail extended far beyond the acting. Deshmukh highlighted the work of sound designer JD, whose technical setup elevated the immersive nature of the thriller. “When audiences experience the sound in theatres, they will actually hear the travelling spatial movement of the audio. Everyone brought their A-game to make a good film first. The Oscar selection is the ultimate cherry on top. Following its historic selection as India’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards, Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi thriller Gondhal is set to return to the big screen for a massive theatrical re-release.
