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Gondhal Director Responds to Anurag Kashyap’s Oscar Criticism
Gondhal was chosen to represent India at the 99th Academy Awards.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap questioned whether it had enough international exposure.
He said films should first appear at overseas festivals or secure American distribution.
Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar replied that Kashyap had told him he had not seen or heard of the film.
Davakhar asked people to watch the movie before judging it.
Gondhal is a Marathi thriller about intrigue and murder during a traditional ceremony.
It was made by a debut filmmaker from outside the film industry.
The movie is expected to return to theatres before its Oscar campaign.
Santosh Davakhar defended Gondhal after Anurag Kashyap questioned its selection as India’s Oscar entry.
Davakhar said Kashyap told him on April 26 that he had not heard of or watched Gondhal.
Kashyap argued that films seeking Oscar success need international festival exposure or American distribution.
He cited The Lunchbox and All We Imagine as Light as films he believed should previously have been selected.
Gondhal, a Marathi psychological thriller, won Davakhar the Silver Peacock for Best Director at IFFI 2025 and is planned for theatrical re-release.
- Who
- Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap are at the center of the dispute.
- What
- Davakhar responded to Kashyap’s criticism of Gondhal’s selection as India’s entry for the 99th Academy Awards.
- Where
- The two filmmakers met on a Bengaluru-Mumbai flight; the selection concerns India’s international Oscar submission.
- When
- Davakhar said he met Kashyap on April 26; the film originally released on November 14, 2025, and is planned for re-release before the Oscar campaign.
- Why
- Kashyap questioned Gondhal’s international exposure, while Davakhar defended the film and asked audiences to watch it before judging it.
Davakhar’s Defense
Kashyap’s Concerns
Whether the film should be judged now
Davakhar’s Defense
Davakhar asked audiences to watch Gondhal before passing a verdict and defended it as a Marathi film with global appeal.
Kashyap’s Concerns
Kashyap questioned the selection and argued that the film first needed greater international exposure.
International Oscar strategy
Davakhar’s Defense
Davakhar said the team understood the responsibility of representing India and would support the film through a theatrical re-release and Oscar campaign.
Kashyap’s Concerns
Kashyap said festival screenings outside India or American distribution should be established before spending money on screenings or advertising.
How Indian films are selected and promoted
Davakhar’s Defense
Davakhar emphasized that Gondhal came from a debut filmmaker outside the film fraternity and deserved audience support.
Kashyap’s Concerns
Kashyap said the National Film Development Corporation should help Indian regional festival winners reach international festivals before Oscar submissions.
Key facts
- Film
- Gondhal, a Marathi psychological thriller written and directed by Santosh Davakhar
- Oscar selection
- India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category
- Director’s award
- Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the International Film Festival of India in 2025
- Original release
- November 14, 2025
- Planned release
- A theatrical re-release is planned ahead of the Oscar campaign
- Kashyap’s concern
- He said international festival screenings or American distribution should precede an Oscar campaign
- Setting
- A single night during a traditional Gondhal ceremony in Maharashtra
Quotes
Santosh Davakhar
Director of Gondhal and the film’s writer-director
“I deeply respect Anurag Kashyap sir and his filmmaking. On the Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on April 26 at 23:55, I introduced Gondhal to him. He said he hadn’t heard of or watched it, but would definitely do so. Since then, it has neither been publicly available nor screened in Mumbai.”
indianexpress.com
“The most important qualification for eligibility should be that the film should have gone to some international festival outside India, or should have had American distribution, or should have had an American distributor before year-end.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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