Nagaland-set film Angh did not become India’s official entry for the 2027 Oscars. But just days after losing that race, the film has found another route to the Academy Awards, and this time, it does not depend on an Indian selection committee. And that’s exactly what the jury was hoping.
Angh, directed by Theja Rio, has won the Platform Prize at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Under a major change to the Academy’s rules for the 99th Oscars, a non-English-language film can now qualify for consideration by winning a designated top prize at one of six Academy-recognised international film festivals. TIFF’s Platform Award is among those prizes, alongside the Golden Bear at Berlin, Palme d’Or at Cannes, Golden Lion at Venice, the Busan Award for Best Film and Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize.
So while Marathi film Gondhal will represent India as the country’s official submission, Angh can now enter the same Oscar category through its TIFF victory. The film has not been nominated for an Oscar yet. The TIFF win makes it eligible for consideration, after which the Academy will decide which films advance to the final nominations.
But why did Angh lose out to Gondhal in the first place?
When the Film Federation of India announced Gondhal as India’s official entry, Angh was among the final three films considered by the 14-member jury. Gondhal received all 14 votes, while Angh received 11.
Speaking to NDTV after the selection, jury member Viveck Vaswani explained that the film’s release status became an important factor.
“There are many situations. Number one, the rules are very clear: a film must be released in India before the 30th Sep 2026. The film (Angh) hasn’t been released yet. They have undertaken that they have got the Censor Certificate and that they will release. All of us love the film. The point is if for some technical reason if the film doesn’t release, then we don’t have a film for the Oscar.”
Vaswani also pointed out that Angh already had an international platform through Toronto, which meant its journey did not necessarily end with the Indian selection.
“The other thing that soften the blow little bit for us because we love the film is that it’s already in the Toronto Film Festival so that gives the film very long legs in the international arena. If this film gets disqualified for some technical reason from India, it’s not going to stop its journey.”
He also revealed just how closely the jury viewed the two films.
“Also Angh got 11 out of 14 votes from the jury while Gondhal got 14 out of 14 votes. So at some point you can’t argue with the jury.”
Now, the Toronto victory has given Angh exactly the kind of international route Vaswani had pointed to.
Theja Rio’s debut feature was the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s competitive Platform section. Set in the 1960s and rooted in Konyak culture, the film explores indigenous identity, faith, cultural change and the relationship between a father and son.
Gondhal remains India’s official Oscar entry. But Angh no longer needs that designation to pursue the Academy Awards.
India has one official entry. Angh now has its own way in.
