'Gondhal' Director Santosh Davakhar Responds to Anurag Kashyap’s 'Oscars' Remarks
'Gondhal' director Santosh Davakhar has responded to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s comments questioning India’s selection of films for the Oscars, urging audiences to watch the Marathi psychological thriller before forming an opinion about its Oscar prospects.
Mumbai, September 23: Santosh Davakhar, the maker of 'Gondhal', India's official entry at the Oscars, has reacted to Anurag Kashyap's 'We Select Absolutely Wrong Films' remark. On Wednesday, Davakhar recalled introducing 'Gondhal' to Kashyap on a flight. He shared that the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' maker had assured him that he would definitely watch the movie. However, Davakhar claimed that the film has neither been screened nor is it available in Mumbai.
He wrote on social media, "I deeply respect Anurag Kashyap Sir and his filmmaking. On the Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on 26 April at 23:55, I introduced GONDHAL to him. He said he hadn’t heard of or watched it but would definitely do so. Since then, it has neither been publicly available nor screened in Mumbai (sic)."
Davakhar further urged all to first witness a film before passing a verdict on it. He added that they understand the responsibility that comes with representing India on a massive international platform such as the Oscars and will not let their country down.
"My humble request to all audiences, please watch the film before passing a verdict. Made by a debut filmmaker from outside the film fraternity, GONDHAL is a psychological thriller blending Marathi culture with global appeal. It is created for the big screen-not OTT. We understand the responsibility of representing India and will not let our country down. Please watch it in theatres upon its upcoming re-release and stand behind us as we face the world., Regards...," he went on to add.
While speaking to a media platform recently, Kashyap had said that India always loses out on major award shows like the Oscars as we end up selecting absolutely wrong films.
"Even if we did have the chance to select the right ones like 'The Lunchbox' and 'All We Imagine As Light,' we messed it up." He added that the most important criteria for eligibility should be that the film should have gone to some international festival outside India or should have had American distribution. "Gondhal should first try to get seen across festivals," advised Kashyap.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2026 10:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
