India, Sept. 19 -- Gondhal has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars this time, putting regional cinema on the map. The film's director Santosh Davakhar had told HT City on Friday, soon after the announcement, that they have already hired an international PR and social media team for the Oscars campaign, but now film bodies have appealed for government help to be provided to them to boost India's chances of winning.

The Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), on Saturday, wrote a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It started off by stating, "The Marathi film 'Gondal' has been officially selected by the Film Federation of India (FFI) as India's official entry for the Oscars. ...