In rural Maharashtra’s Gondhal, a midnight carnival of dance, music, and myth unfolds as trapped wife Suman weaves a perilous ruse amid the city’s sacred ritual. Forced into a gilded marriage with wealthy Anand, she is driven by forbidden love for Gondhali performer Saheba. Amid the ritual’s chaos, Suman manipulates Anand’s obsessed cousin, Sarjerao, to carry out a murder she cannot commit herself. As drums thunder and deities loom over the crowd, she engineers a daring escape with Saheba, risking life and soul under the gods’ watchful gaze. On this night, devotion merges with deception, and salvation and damnation blur, leaving a city-wide verdict etched in fire, blood, and awe.
Santosh Davakhar, a 42-year-old IIM graduate from Thane–Mumbai, is a project consultant, former professor, and social activist. Trained in screenplay writing at FTII, Pune, he creates films that spotlight pressing social issues. His notable works—Adnyat, Antar 19, and Ajanvruksha—have earned international recognition for both craft and social relevance. Recently, he completed Gondhal, a feature film rooted in Maharashtra’s regional culture, further demonstrating his commitment to storytelling that blends cultural depth with socially conscious narratives.
