Marathi film Gondhal is the latest Indian film to be submitted for the upcoming Oscars, following entries such as Homeland and Laapataa Ladies. Despite India's continuous efforts, no submission since Lagaan (2001) has made it to the Best International Feature Film shortlist. When asked why India has never won an Oscar, Anurag offered a candid response in a recent interview: "Because we select absolutely wrong films." He added that he is yet to watch Gondhal.

Santosh Davakhar defends Gondhal after Anurag Kashyap's Oscar remarks

Now, director Santosh Davakhar has responded to Anurag Kashyap's comments, defending Gondhal, while asking people not to judge the film without watching it. He wrote, "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. 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.