Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Ramayana: Part 1 has entered the conversation around the Academy Awards after its makers reportedly submitted the film for consideration at the 99th Oscars. The development has attracted attention because Marathi film Gondhal has already been selected as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category.
However, there is no contradiction between the two developments. India’s official Oscar entry and an independent submission by a film’s makers are two different processes. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences allows eligible films to seek consideration through its regular submission system, even when they have not been selected as their country’s official representative.
The distinction is particularly important this year because the Academy has revised some of its International Feature Film rules and introduced additional ways for non-English-language films to qualify. As a result, more than one Indian film can potentially find a place in the Oscar race, although each must follow the eligibility requirements for the relevant category.
Gondhal is India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards
The Film Federation of India (FFI) selected the Marathi film Gondhal as the country’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The announcement was made on September 18, 2026, after a selection committee considered 33 films.
Directed by Santosh Davakhar, Gondhal is set in rural Maharashtra and draws on the state’s traditional Gondhal folk ritual. The film features Ishita Deshmukh, Kishor Kadam, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir among its cast. Its selection means that Gondhal will represent India’s official submission in the International Feature Film category.
This category has traditionally followed a country-based selection process. Each participating country or region could submit one officially selected film through an Academy-approved selection committee. India’s choice of Gondhal, therefore, does not prevent other Indian productions from seeking consideration in other Oscar categories.
How Ramayana can enter the Oscars without being India’s official entry
The Academy Awards are divided into several categories, and the eligibility process is not identical for all of them. The International Feature Film category has its own submission rules, while films seeking consideration in the regular feature-film categories can follow the Academy’s general entry process.
According to a report published on November 10, the makers of Ramayana have submitted the film for consideration at the 99th Academy Awards. The reported move relates to the wider Oscar entry process and should not be interpreted as a replacement for Gondhal in the International Feature Film category.
Under the Academy’s rules for the 99th Oscars, a feature film seeking consideration through the regular route must meet the prescribed theatrical-release requirements. It must have a qualifying commercial theatrical run in one of six designated US metropolitan areas: Los Angeles County, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth or Atlanta.
The film must begin a minimum seven-consecutive-day run in the same qualifying commercial cinema. During that period, it must have at least three screenings each day, with at least one screening beginning between 6 pm and 10 pm. An Indian theatrical release or strong box-office performance alone does not fulfil this requirement.
There is also an important deadline-related detail. The Academy announced that submission forms for the 99th Oscars’ general entry categories and Best Picture consideration must be filed by November 12, 2026, at 5 pm Pacific Time. However, films have until December 31, 2026, to open in a qualifying US commercial theatre and begin the required theatrical run. This means the form-submission deadline and the final date for beginning the qualifying theatrical engagement are not the same.
The Academy requires the producer or distributor to submit the prescribed entry form and complete on-screen credits. Meeting the submission deadline is only one part of the process; the film must also fulfil the applicable eligibility conditions. The reported submission of Ramayana should therefore be understood as an application for consideration, not as confirmation of an Oscar nomination.
Academy changes have opened another route for international films
The International Feature Film category has also undergone an important change for the 99th Academy Awards. In 2026, the Academy introduced an additional qualification route for non-English-language films that win specified major awards at selected international film festivals.
Under the revised rules, films can qualify for consideration in the category by winning one of the designated awards: the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Busan Award for Best Film, the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the Platform Award at the Toronto International Film Festival or the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
This route gives qualifying films an opportunity to enter the International Feature Film category without being selected through their country’s official committee. It is an important change because it places greater emphasis on recognition at major international festivals and gives filmmakers an alternative to the traditional country-submission process.
Indian cinema has already seen an example of this new pathway. The Naga-language film Angh, directed by Theja Rio, won the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The award gives the film a direct route to eligibility for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category under the Academy’s revised rules.
Therefore, Gondhal and Angh have different routes into the International Feature Film conversation. Gondhal is India’s official selection, while Angh has earned eligibility through its festival award. Neither development changes the separate general-entry process through which Ramayana has reportedly been submitted.
What this means for Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana: Part 1 features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The film was released in theatres on November 5, 2026, and has drawn considerable attention for its scale, performances and visual presentation.
Its reported submission brings the production into the wider Academy Awards conversation, but there are several stages between an entry and an Oscar nomination. The film must satisfy the relevant eligibility requirements, and its prospects will ultimately depend on the Academy’s consideration and voting process.
It is also important to distinguish between being submitted for consideration, making an Oscar shortlist and receiving a nomination. These are separate stages. A film’s submission does not guarantee that it will advance to the shortlist or secure a nomination.
The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The shortlist announcement is scheduled for December 15, 2026, while nominations are due to be announced on January 21, 2027.
For Indian cinema, the development is significant because it highlights the different ways films can reach the Academy Awards. Gondhal carries India’s official entry, Angh has a festival-based qualification route, and Ramayana has reportedly been submitted through the regular feature-film process. The three developments demonstrate that an official national selection and an independent Oscar submission are not the same thing.
