Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 2 (ANI): The makers of Gondhal are gearing up for an intensive campaign to introduce the film to the members of the Academy after it was announced as an official Oscar entry from India for the 99th Academy Awards in 2027.
The makers of Gondhal have announced special paid previews across some theatres in India from October 10. The film is produced by Diksha Davakhar under the banner of Davakhar Films.
Davakhar Films shared the update on their Instagram handle on Thursday.
They wrote, "Gondhal, India’s Official Submission to the 99th Academy Awards, ahead of its worldwide release later, opens its doors for cinephiles and lovers of cinema with special Paid Previews from 10th October across select cities and theatres. A Marathi cerebral psychological thriller rooted in culture and driven by the complexities of the human mind."
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.
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.
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.
With a runtime of approximately 2 hours, the movie was selected from the films entered for consideration by the Film Federation of India. (ANI)
