One beautiful woman and the men who wish to make her their partner. But whom does the woman want? Will she get the person she wants? This is the premise of this year's official Indian entry for the Best International Feature Oscar, 'Gondhal'. It is the fourth Marathi film to be selected as India's official entry for the Oscars.
The core idea of the film is based on the Jagran Gondhal ceremony conducted in rural Maharashtra. It features the worship of Lord Khandoba, who is a Hindu deity believed to be a manifestation of Lord Shiva. The cow mask in the poster is, in fact, the representation of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s sacred bull.
Gondhal revolves around the traditional ritual of a full night of wedding gathering where people in a village enjoy themselves with entertainment and pray and perform poojas. It is a ceremony believed to be done as a tradition to remove all obstacles from the life of newlywed couples.
Here, the wedding is of Suman (Ishita Deshmukh) and Andya (Yogesh Sohoni). The groom’s family is the second wealthiest in the village, just below the vile village chief Abasaheb/Patil (Suresh Vishwakarma), who is also a relative of the groom.
Just like in the rural lifestyle, the bride and groom never saw each other before marriage, making both parties unsure about each other. Andya, an impotent, slow-witted man, was ready to marry Suman, a village belle from a neighbouring community, without any dowry. While, Sarjerao (Nishad Bhoir), who is the son of the village chief, has been smitten by Suman ever since her family approached the chief for a proposal for him. But his father’s high dowry demand made the family choose Andya over him. Suman is seen not happy with the arrangement, agreeing to marry only due to her family's pressure.
The film starts with a small boy and his grandfather, Bhivabha (Kishor Kadam), who is a light-holder in the Gondhal ritual, talking about the ritual and its importance. He is taking his grandson to Suman-Andya’s Gondhal ceremony to teach the young boy the hereditary culture so that one day he will carry on the legacy. The boy is symbolised as the audience, giving the viewers too an introduction to the ceremony and its features.
As they walk to the venue, they are accompanied by two other villagers who ask Bhivabha questions about the wedding, as he is close to the groom’s father and also mentions his son’s (his grandson’s father) murder, trying to provoke him against Sarjerao, who is believed to be the culprit behind the crime. But Bhivabha disengages from the conversation, saying his son was a drunkard and drowned in an accident.
Santosh Davakhar, the one-man army, rewrote the idiom as a master of all trades, making his debut as director, producer, and writer of this dark thriller. Before entering the big screen, Davakhar made many short films focusing on similar societal issues, some of which have received international recognition.
Amalendu Chaudhary, who did the cinematography, has played a great part in making each scene evoke a mix of feelings as the visual treat plays. A key point to note is the long one-shot take style followed. The first 30 minutes are a pure, no-cut cinematic experience, unique for Marathi cinema. Davakhar said he was inspired by many other such long-shot films like ‘Birdman’, ‘Roma’, and ‘Parasite’ to incorporate such an angle.
He further added that scenes with no cuts will make one concentrate on the film with more attention because it will make the viewer feel like it is happening in real time, leaving the audience feeling like a part of the movie.
Musical maestro Ilayaraja has done the music composition. The music focuses on rural Marathi folk style, making anyone wonder how a South India-based composer can bring it to justice. But defying all the limits, he has carried out the task flawlessly without any attention to the fact that this was done by someone who is not from Maharashtra.
Talking about the supporting cast, most of them, from religious chant singers to spectators in the ceremony, were non-actors, who were sourced from the original village in order to bring in the authentic feel, said Davakhar in an interview.
Love, lust, entertainment, jealousy, betrayal, misogyny, impulse, religion, murder, and even rape play around the entire night of this religious ceremony, not leaving any room for losing attention.
It declutters the heavily internalised power structure, social dynamics, and dangers existing in rural lives, bringing in the theme of realism.
This melodramatic rollercoaster will take you places with various curveballs and finally leave you mesmerised with some unexpected revelations.
Before its Oscar selection, Gondhal had already made its mark on the festival and awards circuit, winning the Silver Peacock for Best Director at IFFI, the FIPRESCI Award at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, multiple Filmfare Marathi awards, and many other honours.
The 99th Oscars ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027, and the final nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 21, 2027.