Gondhal Director Backs Ramayana In Oscar Race, Says He Is ‘Betting On’ Nitesh Tiwari’s Film

Marathi film Gondhal, selected as India's official entry for the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category, has brought director Santosh Davakhar into the spotlight. Following the announcement, the filmmaker planned a pan-India release for the film. It arrived in cinemas on November 13, with Davakhar discussing its Oscar journey and the competition in an interview with SCREEN.

Santosh Davakhar backs Ramayana in the Oscars race

During the conversation, Davakhar spoke about Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Namit Malhotra. The filmmaker believes the film could make an impact at the Academy Awards, particularly for its visual effects.

“There are few more films like, Ramayana, among others, they are also contesting in other categories but it is from general entry for Best Film, Best Actor, Best VFX, and I think we have a very good VFX film this year, and Ramayana could do something different at the Oscars under this category. I am betting on it,” he said.

Why Gondhal director chose an international approach

Davakhar also explained that he had followed the Film Federation of India's selection process for over a decade while preparing Gondhal for international recognition. Citing films such as Court, Laapataa Ladies, Homebound and Jallikattu, he spoke about the experience of the FFI jury.

He also discussed Dhurandhar, praising Aditya Dhar's screenplay while distinguishing its approach from his own film.

“Dhurandhar is a good film, its screenplay is superb, and I really love Aditya Dhar’s screenplay. But you have to decide whether you want to hit the box office numbers or want to represent a film at the international level. My motive in making Gondhal was very clear, that I have to make it with an international approach. That was personal because of my previous experiences, and I wanted to proudly present my Indian heritage internationally, and hence, I made a film, which had a global appeal and a global filmmaking approach. Dhurandhar has an Indian filmmaking approach. If Aditya Dhar decides to make the same film, same script with an international approach, he could also have his film selected, it’s all about the approach,” he said.

Davakhar revealed that Gondhal was made on an approximate budget of ₹4.5 crore, making it the least-budgeted film among 33 other entries considered for the selection. The film was released across India on November 13.