The Marathi film Gondhal has been selected as India’s official entry for the 2027 Oscars in the Best International Feature category. The film was chosen from a pool of 33 submissions spanning multiple languages and genres, including Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Hanuman Ansh, Ram Charan’s Peddi and Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur, among others.
There is no doubt that Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar films were among the year’s biggest blockbusters. However, neither made it to the final selection, with the Marathi film Gondhal eventually being chosen.
Why Gondhal, not Dhurandhar was selected as India’s Oscar entry for 2027
Vivek Vaswani, a member of the 14-member jury that selected India’s Oscar entry, has now spoken about the decision. In a conversation with NDTV, he explained why the jury did not consider either Dhurandhar film to be a strong Oscar contender.
He revealed that the jury did not see Dhurandhar or Dhurandhar: The Revenge as films that met what they were looking for in an Oscar submission. When asked about how many votes were there in favour of the film, Vaswani replied, “Four”.
The comments came after the Film Federation of India (FFI) on Friday announced Marathi film Gondhal as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, which are scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027. The nominations for Oscars 2027 will be announced on January 21, 2027.
What did Gondhal director say about its Oscar selection?
Speaking to PTI, Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar said the team is “confident” about the film’s chances. He added that they hope its celebration of India’s vibrant culture and heritage connects with audiences internationally. He said, “We were confident while making and submitting the film that we will be India’s official entry for the Oscars. I’m proud to represent India with my film.”
Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, the film stars Suresh Vishwakarma, Kailash Waghmare and Madhavi Juvekar in pivotal roles. The film was released in November 2025 and recorded modest earnings at the box office. As per trade tracker Sacnilk, the Marathi thriller grossed Rs 90 lakh, while its India net collection was recorded at Rs 84 lakh.
(With PTI inputs)
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Marathi film Gondhal is India’s Oscar 2027 entry; know plot, cast, box office, IMDb rating and more
