FIPRESCI–IIC SHOWCASE: STORIES FROM CONTEMPORARY INDIA II-Film-GONDHAL 

GONDHAL 
(2025; 120 minutes; Marathi with English subtitles)
Director: Santosh Davakhar

With Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir

Recipient of Silver Peacock for Best Director, 56th International Film Festival of India; Official Selection – Golden Peacock Competition, 56th International Film Festival of India.

Set against the backdrop of a traditional overnight Gondhal ritual in rural Maharashtra, the film follows a young bride whose desperate bid for freedom sets in motion a tense and unsettling chain of events. Blending folklore, ritual and psychological suspense, Gondhal explores power, faith and desire, while offering a compelling portrait of the social realities that shape life in the region. Atmospheric and richly rooted in local tradition, the film transforms a culturally significant ritual into a gripping meditation on oppression, resistance and human resilience.