The race for India’s official entry to the 99th Academy Awards is officially underway, with the Film Federation of India accepting applications until September 7 and planning to announce its selection on September 19. Eligible films must have been theatrically released in India between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, with films yet to open also able to enter if their producers and distributors undertake to give them the required seven-day theatrical run before the September 30 cutoff.
The provision is particularly significant this year because one of the most closely watched contenders has yet to open in Indian cinemas. Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy will have its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival before coming to Indian theatres on September 25. The Tamil-language film stars Keerthy Suresh, Sananth and Rishikanth and marks Subbaraj’s 10th feature as director. It is produced by Jio Studios and Sikhya Entertainment, with Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain among its producers.
A still from ‘Dorothy’
| Photo Credit:
Sikhya Entertainment
Dorothy has the kind of profile that could appeal to an FFI jury looking for a film capable of travelling beyond India while retaining a strong regional identity. Subbaraj has established himself through films such as Retro, Jigarthanda, Petta and Mahaan, while the film’s TIFF premiere gives it an immediate international platform before the FFI makes its decision. The project also features an original score by legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja, marking his 1,540th film composition. Its position in the race however, will depend heavily on its reception in Toronto, making it a potential frontrunner rather than an established one.
Among films that have already been released, the strongest contender at this stage is arguably Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1. Released in October 2025, the Kannada-language epic expands the mythology of Shetty’s 2022 blockbuster Kantara, drawing heavily on the folklore, ritual traditions and history of Karnataka’s Tulunadu region. The film has the brand of cultural specificity that has often helped Indian regional cinema stand out in the Oscar selection process.
A still from ‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’
| Photo Credit:
Hombale Films
There is also a practical reason to take Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 seriously. Its producers, Hombale Films, have already demonstrated an interest in positioning the film internationally, and the movie appeared on the Academy’s 2026 General Entry List for Best Picture consideration. That did not make it India’s official International Feature submission, but it indicates that the film’s Oscar campaign was being considered independently of the FFI process. The film is also comfortably eligible under this year’s theatrical window, and has gained fresh awards momentum at the 2026 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, where Shetty won Best Director.
Rima Das has two strong contenders in the race, with Not a Hero and Village Rockstars 2 both carrying significant festival credentials. Not a Hero, an Assamese-Hindi-English film, received a Crystal Bear Special Mention at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, although its participation depends on meeting the FFI’s theatrical-release requirement before September 30. Village Rockstars 2, meanwhile, won the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival before its March 2026 theatrical release in India. Both films benefit from Das’ established festival profile and her direct FFI precedent, with the original Village Rockstars having been selected as India’s entry for the 91st Academy Awards. Village Rockstars 2 arguably has the stronger selection case given its major festival win and confirmed theatrical release.
A still from ‘Village Rockstars 2’
| Photo Credit:
Flying River Films
Anuparna Roy’s Lovers in the Blue Night is one of the more intriguing late possibilities. The film will have its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, where Roy returns after winning the Orizzonti Award for Best Director in 2025 for Songs of Forgotten Trees. Set in Mumbai, the film follows four migrants whose lives intersect through questions of love, work and survival. Its Venice premiere comes just days before the FFI is due to announce its selection, meaning a strong reception could significantly alter its position in the race.
A still from ‘Lovers in the Blue Night’
| Photo Credit:
labiennale.org
Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo is another regional independent film worth watching. The India-South Korea co-production is set in Sikkim and follows a young woman negotiating family expectations and her desire for an independent life. The film premiered at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival and has continued its international festival run, giving it a stronger festival pedigree than many of the smaller Indian contenders. Its Nepali and Sikkimese setting also gives the FFI a distinctly regional story with an international festival footprint.
A still from ‘Shape of Momo’
| Photo Credit:
Dalley Khorsani Productions
Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Kaantha is another solid contender, particularly after its strong showing at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, where Salmaan won Best Actor. Directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, the Tamil-language period drama is set in 1950s Madras and centres on the complicated relationship between a filmmaker and the actor whose career he helps shape. Its focus on the history of Indian cinema give it several qualities that could appeal to the FFI, although its international festival profile remains comparatively less established.
Stills from ‘Kaantha’
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Special Arrangement
Among the less likely contenders, Balan: The Boy, Ikkisand Haq have credible Indian contexts — Chidambaram’s Malayalam drama benefits from the Manjummel Boys director’s profile, Sriram Raghavan’s war drama brings the story of Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal to the screen, and Suparn Varma’s Haq drawing on the landmark Shah Bano case and questions of women’s rights and social reform — but all three lack the festival momentum surrounding the leading films.
The FFI’s recent choices suggest that there is no single formula governing its decisions. Its selections have moved between socially conscious dramas, regional independent films and formally ambitious works. The federation chose Koozhangal in 2021, Chhello Show in 2022, 2018 in 2023, Laapataa Ladies in 2024 and Homebound in 2025. The official FFI records show the breadth of languages and filmmaking traditions represented across those selections.
The recent history also makes this year’s decision particularly interesting. Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, despite winning the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2024, was passed over by the FFI in favour of Laapataa Ladies. Last year’s choice of Homebound, meanwhile, produced India’s strongest recent Oscar showing when the film reached the 15-film International Feature shortlist.
Online Oscar chatter has understandably gravitated towards the year’s biggest Hindi releases, but commercial scale alone has rarely been a reliable guide to the FFI’s choices. Dhurandhar is therefore a less convincing bet than its hyper-nationalist fervour and box-office profile might suggest, while Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha fall outside the current eligibility window because of their July 2025 releases, and Ramayana is scheduled to open after the September 30 cutoff. Main Vaapas Aaunga makes a more credible case as a dark horse, with Imtiaz Ali’s Partition drama giving the committee a historically rooted Hindi-language option. The FFI has surprised before, so a mainstream pick cannot be ruled out entirely, although the festival-backed contenders currently offer the stronger argument.
Published – August 26, 2026 05:41 pm IST
