Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 19 (ANI): The team of 'Gondhal' is gearing up for the next phase of its Oscar journey, with the film's director saying the team had been preparing for the possibility of making an international awards push for nearly a year.

Speaking to ANI about the film's selection as India's official entry, director-producer Santosh Davakhar said the team had always been confident in the product they had created.

"We were confident that the entire Gondhal team had made a good product. For the last year, we have been preparing for this. We were going to attempt the Oscars one way or the other," he said.

He described being chosen as India's official entry as a "great blessing" and said the selection also brought a significant responsibility for the entire team.

"When you go in front of the Oscars voters, that means you are representing your nation. It's a big responsibility for our team, for Team Gondhal, and for me as a director as well," he said.

According to the director, the months ahead will involve an intensive campaign to introduce the film to members of the Academy. "The next few months are going to be full of hard work, as we will need to gain at least 6,000 to 7,000 votes," he said.

The director also spoke about the way 'Gondhal' was conceived, saying he wanted the film to eventually attract the attention of people across India's film industry.

"I made the film in a way that there will come a time when all the technicians in India who are connected to the film line from some angle, everyone will look for this film," he said.

Rather than viewing the Oscar selection as a competition against other Indian films, the director said he sees 'Gondhal' as a representation of the wider Indian film industry.

"Gondhal is not defeating anyone. This is a representation of all these films from India," he said, noting that several films, including major commercial successes and critically appreciated titles from different parts of the country, had been part of the conversation around Indian cinema.

He also pointed to films from the South and Marathi cinema, saying the breadth of Indian filmmaking was reflected in the selection process.

"This is the representation of all these films. The jury felt that Gondhal can do well internationally. So, it's a complete representation of Indian films," he said.

The director also expressed gratitude to the Indian government, the Film Federation of India and the jury that selected the film.

"We are really excited, and we are really thankful to the Indian government. We are really thankful to the Film Federation of India and the distinguished jury," he said.

For the Gondal team, he added, the film's international campaign is rooted in its connection to Indian heritage.

On Friday, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced that Marathi thriller 'Gondhal' has been selected as the official entry from India for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2027. 

Marathi film 'Gondhal' is directed by Santosh Davakhar and stars 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. (ANI)