2025 · Film
Gondhal
Santosh Davakhar's Marathi folk thriller set over one night of the Gondhal ritual in a Maharashtra village, chosen as India's entry for the 99th Academy Awards.
Released Fri, 14 Nov, 2025
Checked by Movie Mandala, Fri, 13 Nov, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 13 November 2026, Gondhal is showing in theatres in India.
In theatres
Now showing
Hindi re-release from 13 Nov 2026. District lists Hindi shows in Delhi NCR and Hindi and Marathi in Mumbai; choose the Hindi show.
Checked Fri, 13 Nov, 2026
The story
In a village in rural Maharashtra, the Patil family hosts a Gondhal, an all-night devotional performance, and the respected Gondhali Bhivaba travels through the dark to lead it. Inside the household is Suman, a newly married bride trapped in an unhappy marriage, and Sarjerao, a young man obsessed with her, is drawn into the night's events. As the ritual music and drumming carry on, hidden desires, power struggles and resentments within the family begin to surface, and the sacred night slowly turns tense.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
Worth seeking out for viewers who like slow-burn rural thrillers rooted in Indian folk traditions; it runs about two hours. Expect betrayal and violence rather than light family viewing, and note the Hindi version is a dub of the Marathi original.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Gondhal is the first feature written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, who drew on a Gondhal ritual he saw as a child. It stars Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu, with music by Ilaiyaraaja, and opens with a single long take of about 25 minutes.
The film played in the international competition at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director, a first for a Marathi film. It was released in Marathi on 14 November 2025. On 18 September 2026 the Film Federation of India chose it from 33 submissions as India's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. After paid previews in Marathi and Hindi from 9 October 2026, it was re-released across India on 13 November 2026 in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, with Hombale Films handling overseas distribution.
The facts
- Language
- Marathi
- Hindi
- Hindi dub available
- Genre
- Folk thriller, Psychological thriller
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Director
- Santosh Davakhar
- Cast
- Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Gondhal in India?
- As of 13 November 2026, Gondhal is showing in theatres in India.
- Is Gondhal available in Hindi?
- Yes. Gondhal was made in Marathi, and a Hindi-dubbed version is available on In theatres.
- When will Gondhal come to OTT?
- No OTT release date has been announced for Gondhal yet. We will update this page when a date is confirmed.
- How long is Gondhal?
- Gondhal runs for 2 hours (120 minutes).