Chosen as the country's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, the Marathi-language psychological thriller Gondhal is scheduled to open in cinemas across India on 13 November. Santosh Davakhar, who handled the writing, directing, and producing duties, has prepared a version of the film for distribution across six languages — Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.

On 18 September, the Marathi-language production earned a place on the national stage after the Film Federation of India put it forward as the country's official Oscar entry. Following the selection, the film's producers are working to bring the project to cinema screens across India on a wider release.

Prior to its general release, Gondhal had preview screenings arranged across six cities — Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Screenings in both Marathi and Hindi were set to get under way with preview showings from 9 October.

Rooted in Maharashtra's folk traditions, the production carries the Davakhar Films banner. The release is positioned to carry the narrative and its cultural backdrop to viewers outside the Marathi-speaking world.

Discussing the film's path to a nationwide audience, director Santosh Davakhar described his aim of keeping Gondhal grounded in Maharashtra's cultural traditions, with the quoted statement noting that the production team set out to honour what he called the unfiltered heritage, rhythms, and deeper narratives rooted in the land. Davakhar noted that film transcends language when emotions are conveyed authentically, adding that audiences across India would have the opportunity to experience the story together in theatres.

Davakhar noted that throughout both production and the submission process, the team held a firm belief that the film would secure the position of India's official Oscar entry.

The film, set against a rural Maharashtra backdrop, follows Suman — a young woman navigating the strains of an unhappy marriage — with its director, speaking on record, tying the project to a broader sense of cultural belonging. Faced with her situation, she looks to turn Sarjerao's deep attachment to the Gondhal ritual into a means of opening a path forward for herself.

During the all-night ritual, tensions tied to local power dynamics, undisclosed agendas, and fractured loyalties gradually come to the fore. A community gathering rooted in tradition gave way to a period marked by reported incidents of disorder and confrontation.

Percussion, narrative song, and movement come together within the Gondhal, a devotional practice rooted in ritual performance. Rooted in its cultural backdrop, the narrative threads obsession, manipulation, and betrayal through a psychological thriller framework that also interrogates the bonds between people.