Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar Starrer ‘Santosh’ Selected As UK’s Official Entry For Oscars

London-based filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s gripping thriller ‘Santosh’, set in Uttar Pradesh, has been named Britain’s official entry for the Oscars in the International Feature Film category.

The film, which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, follows the journey of a newly widowed woman who steps into her late husband’s role as a police constable, becoming entangled in the investigation of a young girl’s murder. Santosh, featuring Hindi dialogues, is a complex blend of suspense, societal commentary, and personal growth.

BAFTA’s statement on sending Santosh for Oscars 2025

In an official statement, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced, “BAFTA is pleased to confirm that Sandhya Suri’s film Santosh is the UK selection for next year’s Oscars’ International Feature Film Award.” This prestigious selection comes on the heels of Britain’s Oscar win earlier this year for The Zone of Interest in the same category.

‘Santosh’, which stars Shahana Goswami as the title character, has been praised for its portrayal of a female cop navigating a world rife with class, caste, and religious tensions. The film is also in the running for the Sutherland Award at the upcoming BFI London Film Festival, which celebrates debut feature films. Described as a “deft thriller” and a multi-layered character study, Santosh intertwines moral dilemmas with broader societal issues in a rural Indian setting.

Director Sandhya Suri about the film

Speaking in an interview with PTI, Suri shared her approach to the film’s themes. “I’m not really somebody who wants to make a film because they want to teach somebody anything. I don’t have a particular campaign or things that I must tick off. So, I don’t like didactic films. But what was Interesting to me was the idea of ​​a type of place where these things are just in the DNA of the place. It’s just all sort of hanging in the air. It is just what that place is… it’s more an observation than a pushing through of messages, that these things can casually exist in society and to sort of hold a mirror up to that and to ask the question: if we put somebody like Santosh, who was a housewife, in a place like that, how does she process all that,” she told PTI.

Suri’s choice to place her protagonist, Santosh, a housewife thrust into a male-dominated police force, serves as the lens through which the film explores these heavy themes.

The filmmaker, who also wrote the script, drew from her Indian roots and documentary filmmaking background to capture the authenticity of the region. Shot in and around Lucknow over 44 days, Suri worked with a skilled local crew to bring her vision to life. Reflecting on the shoot, she told PTI, “I wanted to shoot in UP because I’m originally from there and also I wanted to film in a lot of live locations, that was very important for me to have that feeling of authenticity. come from documentary and that makes me feel that I’m making something real.”

Born and raised in Darlington, north-east England, Suri has always felt a strong connection to India, a country her father cherished. With Santosh now gaining international attention, Suri is eager to bring the film to Indian audiences. After its London Film Festival premiere and UK theatrical release, she is excited about the possibility of Santosh being shown in Indian cinemas.