December 20, 2024: The Hindi drama Santosh has garnered significant recognition by making it to the Oscars shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category for the 2025 Academy Awards. In light of this achievement, the makers of the film have announced its theatrical release in India on January 10, 2025.
The film, which is set in rural North India, is a Hindi-language international co-production. It is among 15 films selected from a pool of 85 submissions from various countries worldwide for the prestigious Oscar category. Santosh was chosen as the official submission from the United Kingdom for the Academy Awards 2025. The movie also made a notable debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it received a positive reception from critics.
Actress Shahana Goswami, who stars in the film, expressed her excitement about the recognition on social media. On Instagram, she shared her joy, particularly celebrating the achievement of the film’s writer-director Sandhya Suri. She wrote, “So happy for the team especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri for this little glory of recognition for our film Santosh! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it, and voted for it.”
Directed by Sandhya Suri, Santosh tells the story of a young Hindu widow named Santosh (played by Shahana Goswami) who inherits her deceased husband’s position as a police constable through a government scheme. However, her life takes a dramatic turn when she becomes entangled in institutional corruption while working alongside a tough, veteran detective named Inspector Sharma (played by Sunita Rajwar) on a gruesome murder case involving a teenage Dalit girl.
The film is a co-production between the United Kingdom, India, Germany, and France, and is lauded for its poignant exploration of social issues, institutional corruption, and caste-based discrimination.
The theatrical release of Santosh in India on January 10, 2025, has stirred much anticipation, as the film continues to make waves on the global stage.
