Actress Mrunal Thakur has expressed her excitement over the selection of the Marathi thriller Gondhal as India’s official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards. Taking to social media, the actress congratulated director Santosh Davakhar and the entire feature film team for bringing pride to Marathi cinema on a global stage. Sharing her joy online, Thakur wrote, “Marathi cinema at the Oscars! What a moment of pride. Congratulations Santosh Davakhar sir and the entire team of Gondhal.”
Directed and written by Santosh Davakhar, Gondhal features a strong ensemble cast including Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Kishor Kadam, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu, and Vitthal Kale. The film has already gained significant recognition on the international festival circuit. It received a nomination for the prestigious Golden Peacock Award at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock award for Best Director.
A 14-member selection committee, chaired by filmmaker P Sheshadri, chose Gondhal from a competitive pool of 33 films. The movie will now represent the nation in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
This accomplishment marks a historic moment for regional cinema. Gondhal becomes only the fourth Marathi film to represent India at the Oscars, following Shwaas (2005), Harishchandrachi Factory (2009), and Court (2015).
In addition to its compelling narrative, the thriller has earned critical praise for its impressive technical execution. A standout feature of the production is a continuous, unbroken 25-minute single take, showcasing remarkable craftsmanship by the filmmaking team.
With praise coming in from across the Indian film industry, director Santosh Davakhar and the production team are now gearing up for the next phase of their international Oscar campaign.
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