17th Bengaluru International Film Festival

Motivation: Gondhal is an immersive film where content and form merge through a traditional ritual song-dance performance of Maharashtra. Performed to invoke divine blessings for newlyweds and ward off evil, the ritual functions as both narrative and catalyst, shaping the events and highlighting the film’s socio-cultural depth, while maintaining a consistent rhythm of the structure of the film. Cinematography, lighting, and sound design work in harmony with the ritual to heighten its emotional and thematic impact.