Gondhal, the Marathi film the Film Federation of India picked on September 18 as the country's official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, will reach Kerala screens in Malayalam on November 13. Davakhar Films released the Malayalam trailer on its YouTube channel on October 27, with the film set to return to theatres in seven languages.
The trailer opens on the Oscar entry card and calls the film "a Shakespearean fable". It moves through a night-time folk procession, torches and drums, and the tense faces of its lead cast. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music, as reported by Hindustan Times, while Justin Jose handles re-recording. The film will play in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English.
What is Gondhal
Director: Santosh Davakhar, who also wrote the story, screenplay and dialogue
Cast: Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir
Genre: Psychological thriller built around the gondhal folk performance tradition
Producer: Davakhar Films, with Santosh and Diksha Davakhar
Release: First released on November 14, 2025 (reported); worldwide re-release on November 13 in seven languages
Oscar record: Fourth Marathi film sent by India, after Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court
Kerala's own Oscar entries
For Malayalam audiences, the Gondhal release lands with some history. India has sent four Malayalam films to the Oscars for the foreign language category, now called Best International Feature Film. None of them made the final nominations, The Hindu has noted.
1997: Guru, directed by Rajiv Anchal. The first Malayalam film India sent, as per the Film Federation of India list. Not nominated.
2011: Adaminte Makan Abu, directed by Salim Ahamed, entered as Abu, Son of Adam. Not nominated.
2020: Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. Not nominated.
2023: 2018, directed by Jude Anthany Joseph and starring Tovino Thomas. Not nominated.
Each of these came from a different corner of Malayalam cinema. Guru was a fantasy reported to star Mohanlal, with music by Ilaiyaraaja, the same composer now behind Gondhal. Adaminte Makan Abu was a quiet drama on an old couple's Hajj dream. Jallikattu was a frantic chase after a runaway buffalo, from the director now back in theatres with the Nayakan 4K re-release.
2018 retold the Kerala floods through an ensemble led by Tovino Thomas. It sits on our list of Malayalam survival thrillers, and its director Jude Anthany Joseph has since been mentoring young filmmakers.
India's best result in the category remains a nomination. As per The Hindu, Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan are the only Indian films to reach the final five, and none won. Homebound, last year's entry, reportedly made the shortlist but not the nominations.
Why the Malayalam release matters
Dubbed versions give a regional Oscar entry a wider audience before voting begins. Kerala viewers have seen how the race works from their own entries, so Gondhal's run here offers a fresh point of comparison. The film's distributors have not yet announced a Kerala screen count.
