The Gondhal release date is 13 November 2026, and India’s official Oscar entry is now just days away from its worldwide opening. Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi psychological thriller, already chosen as the country’s submission for the 99th Academy Awards, will reach cinemas across the world in seven languages at once. This week the film picked up fresh momentum too: a special screening hosted by Amruta Fadnavis drew a strong turnout from the film fraternity, and Davakhar spoke to Filmfare about the Oscar campaign, the screenings already held for Academy members in Los Angeles and New York, and the long road ahead.
Image Credit: Davakhar Films — Official Trailer via YouTube
Watch the official trailer here:
Gondhal release date: 13 November 2026 in seven languages
The Gondhal release date is confirmed as Friday, 13 November 2026. The film opens worldwide in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English, making it the first Marathi film to receive a seven-language global theatrical rollout. Screenings are planned across India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Dubai and Africa.
The film had a limited theatrical run in India in November 2025, before its Oscar selection. The 13 November 2026 date is the expanded worldwide release, timed to the Academy campaign, and it is the date the makers are promoting everywhere now. That scale is unusual for a film of this size, and it is a direct result of the Oscar selection. The makers are clearly betting that the Academy buzz will carry the film to audiences who would never normally watch a Marathi folk thriller, and releasing it in seven languages at once is how they plan to reach them.
India’s Oscar entry: the campaign so far
Gondhal became India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards when the Film Federation of India selected it on 18 September 2026. The selection jury, headed by chairperson P Sheshadri, picked the Marathi-language psychological thriller from 33 submissions across the country, including fourteen Hindi entries and films in Telugu, Tamil and Gujarati.
It is the first Marathi film to receive the honour in 11 years. The campaign has already begun in earnest: special screenings for Academy members and film professionals have been held in Los Angeles and New York, with more international screenings planned. Back home, a special screening hosted by Amruta Fadnavis brought together Madhur Bhandarkar, Mahima Makwana, Daisy Shah, Maanvi Gagroo and other members of the film fraternity in support of the film.
Speaking to Filmfare on 6 November, Davakhar was candid about the odds. He said the team does not have big connections, but it has a strong film, and he pointed to Lagaan and RRR as proof that a small film with conviction can travel. The makers have also said the film is being considered across multiple Oscar categories, which means the campaign in the months ahead could stretch well beyond the Best International Feature race. With the Gondhal release date now only days away, every screening and interview is part of that push.
What is Gondhal about? The ritual, the bride and the plan
Gondhal, the ritual, is a real folk tradition of Maharashtra, an all-night performance of music, dance and storytelling that has been part of village life for generations. Davakhar has said the film grew from his desire to bring this disappearing folk art to a wider audience, and the ritual is not a backdrop here. It is the engine of the story.
Set against the cultural fabric of Maharashtra, the film follows Suman and Anandrao, a newly married couple whose lives take a disturbing turn as desire, duty and devotion collide. The story unfolds over a single high-stakes night, during the traditional Gondhal ritual, when the whole village stays awake singing and dancing in honour of the deities Bhavani and Khandoba. Suman, played by Ishita Deshmukh, uses the sacred ceremony to execute a calculated plan against an obsessive admirer, turning a holy night into a suspenseful game of strategy.
The trailer hints at the layers beneath that simple setup. There is love, but it is tangled with obsession. There is devotion, but it is shadowed by betrayal. And there is a murder waiting somewhere in the dark, which means Suman’s plan, however clever, will have consequences she cannot fully control. The film asks what happens when ancient customs meet very modern, very human desperation, and the trailer suggests the answer is not a comfortable one.
Gondhal cast and crew: Ishita Deshmukh leads, Ilaiyaraaja scores
Ishita Deshmukh leads the cast as Suman, the bride at the centre of the storm. Yogesh Sohoni plays her husband Anandrao, while Nishad Bhoir plays Sarjerao, the obsessive figure caught in Suman’s plan. Kishor Kadam, one of Marathi cinema’s most respected actors, plays Bhivaba, and Anuj Prabhu appears as Sahebrao, also known as Murali. The supporting cast includes Suresh Vishwakarma, Maadhavi Juvekar, Aishwarya Shinde and Kailash Waghmare.
Behind the camera, the names are just as strong. The music is composed by the legendary Ilaiyaraaja, whose songs for the film, including Malhari and Chandan, were released in November 2025. Amalendu Chaudhary handles cinematography, and the film famously opens with a 25-minute unbroken take, a technical gamble that the trailer’s fluid, restless camerawork hints at. Ashish Mhatre edits the film, which runs 117 minutes. The film is written, directed and produced by Santosh Davakhar under his banner Davakhar Films, with Diksha Davakhar as co-producer.
The global trailer: what it shows
The global trailer of Gondhal, unveiled on 27 October 2026, opens on a Maharashtra village at night, during the all-night folk ritual that gives the film its name. It arrived a little over two weeks before the Gondhal release date, and it immediately set the tone for the campaign. Torches burn, drums beat and a performer in a striking animal mask moves through the crowd. Then the mood shifts. The newly married Suman watches the celebration with eyes that are planning something, not enjoying it, while her husband looks on, proud and oblivious in equal measure.
What the trailer does cleverly is refuse to explain itself. It shows the ritual, the tension between the couple and the shadow of an obsessive admirer, but it never spells out who is manipulating whom. That ambiguity is the point. Gondhal is a psychological thriller, and the trailer behaves like one, dropping clues instead of answers and trusting the audience to lean in.
5 exciting details to know before 13 November
Here are five things that make the Gondhal release date worth marking on your calendar.
First, this is India’s official Oscar entry. Gondhal was chosen from 33 films as the country’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, the first Marathi film to earn the honour in 11 years.
Second, the seven-language release is a first. No Marathi film has ever opened worldwide in seven languages at once, and the Gondhal release date is the same across all seven versions, with the rollout covering India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Dubai and Africa.
Third, the film arrives with festival honours already in hand. Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India, where the jury described the film as like a Shakespearean fable set in a real world. It also picked up the FIPRESCI Award at the Bengaluru International Film Festival.
Fourth, the craft is genuinely ambitious. The film opens with a 25-minute unbroken take, and the score comes from Ilaiyaraaja, one of Indian cinema’s greatest composers.
Fifth, the story is rooted in a living tradition. The Gondhal ritual is a real all-night folk performance of Maharashtra, and the film uses it not as decoration but as the engine of its thriller plot.
Gondhal OTT release: not announced yet
No OTT release date or streaming platform has been announced for Gondhal yet, so for now the only way to watch it is on the big screen from 13 November 2026. With the Gondhal release date set for cinemas first, a streaming premiere is likely to follow weeks after the cinema run, but the makers have not confirmed anything so far.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Gondhal release date?
The Gondhal release date is 13 November 2026. The film opens in cinemas worldwide on that Friday.
In how many languages will Gondhal release?
Gondhal will release in seven languages: Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English.
Is Gondhal really India’s Oscar entry?
Yes. Gondhal is India’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards (Oscars 2027), selected by the Film Federation of India on 18 September 2026.
Who directs Gondhal and who stars in it?
Santosh Davakhar writes, directs and produces the film. Ishita Deshmukh stars as Suman, with Yogesh Sohoni as Anandrao, Kishor Kadam as Bhivaba and Nishad Bhoir as Sarjerao. Ilaiyaraaja composes the music.
What is the story of Gondhal?
The film follows a newly married couple, Suman and Anandrao, over one night during the traditional Gondhal folk ritual in a Maharashtra village, as Suman uses the ceremony to carry out a calculated plan against an obsessive admirer.
Where can I watch the Gondhal trailer?
The official global trailer is available on YouTube, embedded above. It was unveiled on 27 October 2026 ahead of the worldwide release.
Gondhal is the kind of film that reminds you how wide Indian cinema can be, stretching from a village ritual in Maharashtra to the Oscars stage in Los Angeles. Mark the Gondhal release date, 13 November, on your calendar, watch the trailer above, and keep an eye on this space for more updates on India’s Oscar journey.
Image Credit: Davakhar Films — Official Trailer via YouTube
