Silver Peacock for Best Director Awarded to Santosh Davakhar for 'Gondhal'
Jury Applauds the Film for its Command of Tradition, Form and Narrative Precision
A Cinematic Work Described as a Shakespearean Fable Set in the Real World
#IFFIWood, 28 November 2025
Santosh Davakhar has been conferred the Silver Peacock for Best Director for his film Marathi Gondhal at the 56th International Film Festival of India. The award includes the Silver Peacock Trophy, a Certificate of Merit, and a cash prize of ₹15,00,000, honouring directorial excellence that transforms story into experience and cultural memory into moving image. The award was presented by CM Goa, Shri. Pramod Sawant and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. L. Murugan in the presence of Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, IFFI Jury Chairperson Shri. Rakesh Omprakash Mehra and Festival Director Shri. Shekhar Kapur.
The Jury said, "Set against the rich fabric of cultural tradition the Director has given birth to a Cinematic gem. A captivating narrative that keeps us on edge, surprising us beyond our wildest imagination. Gondhal is like a Shakespearean fable set in a real world."
This recognition positions Gondhal as one of the defining artistic statements of the 56th IFFI, marking Santosh Davakhar as a filmmaker whose voice carries both tradition and vision, cinema born from memory, sharpened by craft, and carried forward by imagination.
Synopsis of Gondhal
Set within the backdrop of the midnight carnival of ritualistic Gondhal dance music in rural Maharshtra, the movie unfolds the life of Suman who is trapped in a gilded marriage to the affluent Anand she plots a dangerous depiction, fueled by her forbidden love for Saheba, a charismatic Gondhali performer. As the ritual crescendos, she cunningly ensnares Anand’s obsessive cousin, Sarjerao, to commit the act she herself cannot. Amid pounding drums and ancestral invocations, Suman dares a flight towards freedom, her fate entwinned with Saheba’s. On this charged night, devotion merges with deception, and salvation and damnation blur, leaving a city-wide verdict etched in fire, blood, and awe.
PC Link of Gondhal
About IFFI
Born in 1952, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) stands tall as South Asia’s oldest and largest celebration of cinema. Jointly hosted by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), State Government of Goa, the festival has grown into a global cinematic powerhouse—where restored classics meet bold experiments, and legendary maestros share space with fearless first-timers. What makes IFFI truly sparkle is its electric mix—international competitions, cultural showcases, masterclasses, tributes, and the high-energy WAVES Film Bazaar, where ideas, deals and collaborations take flight. Staged against Goa’s stunning coastal backdrop from November 20–28, the 56th edition promises a dazzling spectrum of languages, genres, innovations, and voices—an immersive celebration of India’s creative brilliance on the world stage.
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