Dashavatar Becomes First Marathi Film To Enter The Oscar Contention List

Regional cinema has been growing amazingly, and while South films are making a mark internationally, even Marathi movies are getting recognition overseas. Marathi film Dashavatar, which left a strong mark at the box office in India last year, has now made it to the Oscars 2026 contention list.

The film's director, Subodh Khanolkar, took to Instagram to inform everyone about it. He posted, "Today, I received an email that 'Dashavatar' has been selected for the main competition of the Oscars, i.e. the Academy Awards (Main open film category - contention list), and I was satisfied that the hard work we all put in over the years has been recognized. This satisfaction is not just because 'Dashavatar' has been selected, but because it is proving once again that our Marathi cinema can stand up to the world's competition... (sic)."

The filmmaker further wrote, "‘Dashavatar’ is probably the first Marathi film to be selected in the main competition category. It is the only Marathi film out of the 150+ films selected out of thousands. And it is the first Marathi film to be screened in the Academy Screening Room! Winning or losing is a thing of the past, but it is a matter of immense pride that Marathi cinema is being recognized in the global mainstream! This is just the beginning, we will continue to make sincere efforts to create good content and bring it to the world to elevate the status of Marathi! May there be love and blessings! (sic)."

Two Indian Films Eyeing Oscars

While Homebound is India's official entry to the Oscars, Dashavatar was submitted independently. It will be interesting to see if any of them will be able to make it to the nominations or not.

Dashavatar Box Office Collection

Dashavatar collected Rs. 24.18 crore at the box office. It was declared a super hit, as the film was reportedly made on a budget of Rs. 5 crore. With film entering the Oscars contention list, we can clearly say that good cinema doesn't have language barrier.