Marathi cinema has had a few Oscar moments before, and Gondhal is now adding to that list. The film may be getting a lot of attention for its Oscar 2027 journey, but it is actually the fourth Marathi film to be selected as India’s official entry.
Santosh Davakhar’s Gondhal released in 2025 and went on to win several awards, including multiple Filmfare honours. It has now been chosen as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards. The film will next go through the Academy’s selection process, where it will compete with entries from other countries.
But before Gondhal, three other Marathi films had already represented India at the Oscars. The first one was Shwaas in 2004. The film follows a grandfather who takes his grandson Parshuram from
their village in Maharashtra to Pune for an eye check-up. Things take a serious turn when the boy is diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the retina.
Also Read: Marathi Film Gondhal Goes To Oscars 2027: Plot, Cast, Awards And More
The story mainly focuses on the bond between the grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather simply wants to show the boy around the city while he still has his eyesight. Shwaas was widely appreciated and also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.
However, it could not make it to the final shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars.
Five years later, another Marathi film made it to the Oscars. Harishchandrachi Factory, directed by Paresh Mokashi, was selected as India’s official entry in 2009.
The film tells the story of Dadasaheb Phalke, who is considered one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. Before getting into films, Phalke worked as a printer and photographer in Bombay, now Mumbai. The movie follows his journey as he gets into filmmaking and eventually creates history.
Harishchandrachi Factory was the second Marathi film to be chosen as India’s Oscar entry. Like Shwaas, it did not win the Best Foreign Language Film award.
Then, in 2015, it was Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court. The film follows Narayan Kamble, a teacher, social activist and protest singer who is arrested over allegations that one of his songs encouraged a manhole worker, Vasudev Pawar, to die by suicide. Kamble’s lawyer, Vinay Vora, argues his case in court. Kamble denies that he ever intended to encourage Pawar to take his own life. A witness claims he had seen Pawar singing one of Kamble’s songs.
Court looks at the case while also showing what happens around the courtroom. The film did not win an Oscar, but it received a major honour in India. It won the Best Feature Film award at the 62nd National Film Awards.
Now, Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to get the chance to represent India at the Oscars.
The 99th Academy Awards will be held on March 14, 2027.
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