Anurag Kashyap’s remarks on India’s Oscar selections have sparked a fresh debate over the country’s process of choosing its official entry, with ‘Gondhal’ director Santosh Davakhar defending his film and urging viewers to watch it before drawing conclusions.
In a recent conversation with Variety, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap said that India selects absolutely the wrong films for the Oscars.
“We select 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,” said Kashyap.
The filmmaker added that films such as All We Imagine As Light and The Lunchbox were deliberately not chosen by the selection committee.
Responding to the question, “Is there too much politics in the selection process?” he noted that there is, pointing out a lack of awareness.
“More than that, it’s a lack of awareness. This year, the competition is really tough. It’s hard this year to beat the international entries for the Oscars,” said the Gangs of Wasseypur director.
Also, it’s too early for me to say anything because I haven’t seen the selected film and many of the ones submitted, he added.
According to Anurag, the most important qualification for eligibility should be that the film should have gone to some international festival outside India or should have had American distribution or should have had an American distributor before year end.
Adding further that Gondhal should first try to get seen across festivals. That has to be the first step, or all the money spent on screenings or advertising is a waste.
Santosh Davakhar, who directed Gondhal, India’s official entry for the Oscars, responded to this in an Instagram comment.
“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,” said Davakhar.
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.
The debutant director asked audiences to watch the film before passing a verdict.
Gondhal is a psychological thriller based on a traditional Gondhal ritual, a centuries-old Maharashtrian folk performance.
India’s Oscar Journey
Last year, Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ was selected as the official entry for Best International Feature Film. While it had reached the Top 15, it failed to secure a spot in the final five nominations.
In 2025, critics argue that the selection of the film Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, was not seen as the right choice.
Critics pointed out that other films, especially regional ones, were in the Oscar race.
Despite having strong and vibrant film industries in the country, we have not had enough impact at the Academy Awards.
India’s official entries have reached the final round only three times, but have still not won any.
The three films that made it that far were Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay (1988), and Lagaan (2001).
In the 25 years since, no Indian film has made the final five nominees. A closer look at the selection process may be long overdue if India wants a better shot at the Oscars.
