Anurag Kashyap Questions India's Oscar Selection After Gondhal Pick; Director Says, 'Watch The Film Before Passing A Verdict'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap questioned India's track record of selecting films for the Oscars after Marathi psychological thriller Gondhal was chosen as the country's official entry for the 99th Academy Awards. Kashyap cited films such as The Lunchbox and All We Imagine As Light while discussing movies he felt could have represented India at the Oscars.

His comments have now drawn a response from Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar, who said the film should be watched before judgments are made about its Oscar prospects.

Anurag On India's Oscar Selection

In an interview with Variety India, Kashyap discussed why he believes India has struggled to make a stronger impact at the Academy Awards. Referring to the country's selection process, he said, “We select absolutely wrong films. Even if we did have the chance to select the right ones like The Lunchbox and All We Imagine As Light, we messed it up.”

Kashyap also agreed that there is "too much politics" involved in the selection process and pointed to a lack of awareness as another issue. He further noted that the competition at the Oscars is particularly strong this year.

However, the filmmaker clarified that he had not watched Gondhal or many of the other films submitted for consideration, and therefore felt it was too early for him to comment specifically on the Marathi film.

He also outlined what he believes should be considered important for an Indian film seeking international recognition, saying, “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. Also, the IFFI is a recognised Indian film festival. If Gondhal won the Silver Peacock there, NFDC should play a role in submitting its Regional IFFI winners for international festivals for exposure.”

Gondhal Director Santosh Davakhar Responds

Davakhar responded to Kashyap's remarks in the comments section of the publication's social media post. The filmmaker said he had personally introduced Gondhal to Kashyap earlier this year but that the latter had not yet watched the film.

“I deeply respect Anurag Kashyap Sir and his filmmaking. On the Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on 26 April 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.”

He concluded, “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. 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.”

About Gondhal

Written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, Gondhal is a Marathi psychological thriller starring Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Kishor Kadam, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu and Vitthal Kale.

The film draws from the traditional Gondhal ritual, a centuries-old Maharashtrian folk performance that features devotional singing, music and dance.

Davakhar previously won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) for Gondhal.