The global trailer for Gondhal is out, giving audiences their first full look at India’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The Marathi-language psychological thriller, written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, arrives in theatres worldwide on November 13, 2026.
The story unfolds over a single night in rural Maharashtra, during a Gondhal — a folk ritual in which devotion is expressed through song, dance and theatrical storytelling. Ishita Deshmukh plays Suman, a young wife trapped in a suffocating marriage who tries to take back control by playing on the fixation her lover Sarjerao, played by Nishad Bhoir, has developed for her. As desire collides with codes of honour and custom, the night ends in tragedy.
The film also stars Kishor Kadam and Yogesh Sohoni, with music and background score by legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja and cinematography by Amalendu Chaudhary. Davakhar, who won the Silver Peacock for best director at the 56th International Film Festival of India, opens the film with a 25-minute unbroken take, and has said he made Gondhal to bring a powerful Indian tradition to the global screen in a culturally authentic, universal cinematic language.
Gondhal was chosen from a field of 33 films in contention for India’s Oscar submission, and will release in seven languages — Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English — across India, the USA, the UK, Europe, Australia, Dubai and Africa. With its trailer now out, its awards-season campaign moves into a new phase.
