Kids Portal For Parents India Kids Network
Movie Name: Gondhal
Directed by: Santosh Davakhar
Starring: Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, Anju Prabhu, Suresh Vishwakarma, Maadhavi Juvekar, Aishwarya Shinde, Kailash Waghmare, Poonam Patil, Prashant Deshpande, Sharad Jadhav, Vitthal Kale, Pravin Dalimbkar, Dhruv Thoke, Prabhakar Mathapati
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Drama
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Release Date: November 13, 2026
Rating: –
Languages: Marathi
Production House: Davakhar Films
Budget: $- million
A suffocating young bride, Suman, uses her lover Sarjerao’s obsession in Gondhal ritual and turns sacred tradition into a deadly chess match.
Gondhal Movie Overview:
Gondhal is a 2025 Indian Marathi-language psychological thriller film written, directed and produced by Santosh Davakhar in his feature directorial debut. Produced under the banner of Davakhar Films with Diksha Davakhar as co-producer, the film stars Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Kishor Kadam, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir, Anuj Prabhu, Vitthal Kale in main roles. Set in rural Maharashtra over the course of a single night, the story unfolds during a Gondhal, a traditional night-long devotional ritual performed for a newly married couple, and follows a young bride whose schemes turn the sacred ceremony into a night of betrayal and violence.
The film is noted for its opening sequence, a continuous take of approximately 25 minutes that has been reported as the first of its length in Indian cinema. The score and soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
Gondhal premiered in competition at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, where Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director, the first time a Marathi film achieved the distinction. The film was theatrically released in India on 14 November 2025 but was a commercial failure, despite later winning awards at several festivals and ceremonies, including six Filmfare Awards Marathi. On 18 September 2026, the Film Federation of India selected it from 33 films as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, making it the fourth Marathi film to be chosen, after Shwaas, Harishchandrachi Factory and Court.
