The wait is over. The Gondhal release today brings India’s official Oscar entry to cinemas worldwide, in seven languages at once, on Friday, 13 November 2026. Santosh Davakhar’s Marathi psychological thriller, chosen by the Film Federation of India as the country’s submission for the 99th Academy Awards, opens across India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Dubai and Africa in a single day. For a film rooted in a Maharashtra village ritual, it is a remarkable opening, and the Gondhal release today is the moment its long Oscar campaign finally meets a paying audience.
Image Credit: Davakhar Films — Official Trailer via YouTube
Watch the official global trailer here:
Seven languages, one night, screens around the world
The headline fact of the Gondhal release today is its scale. The film opens in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English, and the makers say it is the first Marathi film to receive a theatrical rollout of this size across seven languages at once. The dubbed versions were produced with full visual dubbing, a technique the makers have described as a world first for a feature film, so the lip movements match the dialogue in every language.
That ambition did not arrive overnight. The film had a limited theatrical run in India in November 2025, before its Oscar selection, and the Gondhal release today is the expanded worldwide release, timed to the Academy campaign. The date itself was chosen with care: the makers originally wanted a Diwali opening, but with Ramayana arriving on 5 November, they moved to 13 November to give the big epic room and to let audiences come up for air before a very different kind of film. Director Santosh Davakhar has said the team hopes the extra week helps a Marathi story connect with a much wider audience, and that their support can strengthen the Oscar campaign too.
Why the Gondhal release today matters for the Oscar race
The Gondhal release today is not just another Friday opening. On 18 September 2026, the Film Federation of India selected Gondhal as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, the Oscars 2027, choosing it from 33 submissions across the country, including fourteen Hindi entries. A jury headed by chairperson P Sheshadri picked the Marathi-language psychological thriller, making it the first Marathi film to receive the honour in 11 years and only the fourth Marathi film ever chosen.
The campaign has been running for weeks already. Special screenings for Academy members and film professionals have been held in Los Angeles and New York, with more international screenings planned, and back home a special screening hosted by Amruta Fadnavis drew Madhur Bhandarkar, Mahima Makwana, Daisy Shah and Maanvi Gagroo, among others. Speaking to Filmfare on 6 November, Davakhar was candid about the odds, saying the team does not have big connections but it has a strong film, and pointing 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, so the campaign in the months ahead could stretch well beyond the Best International Feature race. A strong opening weekend from the Gondhal release today would give that campaign exactly the kind of momentum it needs.
The story: a bride, a ritual and a 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.
The film follows Suman and Anandrao, a newly married couple played by Ishita Deshmukh and Yogesh Sohoni, 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 uses the sacred ceremony to execute a calculated plan against an obsessive admirer, turning a holy night into a suspenseful game of strategy. 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 global trailer, unveiled on 27 October 2026, refuses to explain any of this outright. Torches burn, drums beat, a performer in a striking animal mask moves through the crowd, and Suman watches the celebration with eyes that are planning something rather than enjoying it. That restraint is the point. Gondhal is a psychological thriller, and the trailer behaves like one, dropping clues instead of answers.
Who made it, and who stars in it
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, Ashish Mhatre edits the film, which runs 117 minutes, and the film famously opens with a 25-minute unbroken take. The film is written, directed and produced by Santosh Davakhar under his banner Davakhar Films, with Diksha Davakhar as co-producer. Davakhar has put his next film, Shahaji Raje, on hold for three to four months to give Gondhal and its Oscar campaign his complete attention.
Festival honours behind the film
The Gondhal release today 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. Those prizes, plus the Oscar selection, are why a film about a Maharashtra village ritual is now heading for screens in seven languages across several continents.
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 the Gondhal release today. The director has said the film was created for the big screen and the team is not currently planning an OTT release, so a streaming premiere is likely to follow only weeks after the cinema run, if at all. With its drums, firelight and single long night, the film’s visual world belongs in a theatre first anyway.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Gondhal release today?
Gondhal releases in cinemas worldwide today, Friday, 13 November 2026.
In how many languages is Gondhal releasing?
The film releases 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 from 33 submissions.
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.
The Gondhal release today is the kind of opening that reminds you how wide Indian cinema can be, stretching from a village ritual in Maharashtra to the Oscars stage in Los Angeles. The film is in cinemas now in seven languages, so check your local listings, watch the trailer above, and keep an eye on this space for box office updates and more on India’s Oscar journey.
Image Credit: Davakhar Films — Official Trailer via YouTube
