Santosh Davakhar, the director of Gondhal, India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, has responded to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s criticism of the selection. In a detailed statement posted in the comments section of a social media post discussing Kashyap’s remarks, Davakhar revealed that the two had met earlier this year and that the Gangs of Wasseypur director had admitted at the time that he had neither seen nor heard of the film.

Davakhar’s response began by expressing respect for Kashyap and his filmography. “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.”

Santosh Davakhar then addressed the audience directly. “My humble request to all audiences: please watch the film before passing a verdict. Made by a debut filmmaker from outside the film fraternity, Gondhal is a psychological thriller blending Marathi culture with global appeal. It is created for the big screen, not OTT,” he wrote.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

Davakhar acknowledged the weight of representing India at the Oscars and promised to live up to it. “We understand the responsibility of representing India and will not let our country down. Please watch it in theatres upon its upcoming re-release and stand behind us as we face the world.”

What Anurag Kashyap said

Anurag Kashyap recently questioned India’s decision to send Gondhal, arguing that the country has repeatedly missed opportunities to send films with stronger international prospects to the Academy Awards. He cited Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox and Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light as examples of films that, in his view, should have been selected in their respective years but were not.

Kashyap also raised a practical concern about Gondhal’s lack of international exposure. “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. Gondhal should first try to get seen at festivals. That has to be the first step, or all the money spent on screenings or advertising is a waste.”

Story continues below this ad

Anurag Kashyap suggested that the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) should play a role in submitting India’s regional festival winners for international festivals to build exposure before the Oscar campaign begins. He pointed out that Gondhal won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2025, a recognised Indian festival, and argued that this recognition should have been leveraged into international festival screenings before the Oscar submission.

About Gondhal

Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, Gondhal is a Marathi psychological thriller set across a single night during a traditional Gondhal ceremony, a centuries-old Maharashtrian folk ritual combining devotional singing, music and dance performed to bless a newlywed couple. Within that setting, the film unfolds a story of intrigue and murder. The cast includes Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu and Vitthal Kale. The music is by Ilaiyaraaja. It originally released theatrically on November 14, 2025, and is set for a re-release in theatres ahead of the Oscar campaign.