Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 18 (ANI): Abhay Sinha, President of the Film Federation of India, shared that India's official entry for the 2027 Oscars, 'Gondhal', was selected from among 33 Indian films after it impressed the selection Committee. 

While talking to ANI, Abhay Sinha described the movie as a 'family movie' which also had the inclusion of different genres. 

'A total of 33 films have been confirmed by 15 jury members. Today, after a press conference at 3 pm, it was announced in the NFDC. It is a family movie, thriller, and everything is mixed in it. Everyone liked it. Then it was decided. There were 14 Hindi movies and other from  Marathi, Telugu and Tamil. There were a lot of movies,' said Abhay Sinha.

As per a statement by FFI, the selection was made by the FFI Selection Committee. The committee comprised 14 members representing different regions and areas of expertise across the Indian film industry, with filmmaker P Sheshadri serving as Chairman.

Marathi film 'Gondhal' was directed by Santosh Davakhar and starred Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu in the lead roles. With a runtime of approximately 2 hours, the movie was selected from the films entered for consideration by the Film Federation of India.

The Selection Committee included filmmakers, actors, producers, cinematographers, editors and other professionals from across India. The official Oscar entry for the Marathi film marks a landmark milestone for Marathi cinema, with Gondhal now representing India in the Academy Awards' International Feature Film race.

The movie is set against the cultural backdrop of rural Maharashtra and explores the collision between ritual tradition, personal ambition and human vulnerability. The music of the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. 

The latest recognition adds to Gondhal's growing list of accolades on the festival circuit, including awards at IFFI, the Bengaluru International Film Festival, the Pune International Film Festival and the Third Eye Asian International Film Festival.

The movie was released in theatres on November 14, 2025. (ANI)