As the popularity for international and foreign language movies continues to grow, one such title that audiences should be on the lookout for as the 2024 new movie calendar winds down is Santosh, a crime drama set in India that has earned strong early reviews and could be up for an Oscar in the near future.
Santosh is the UK’s entry for the Best International Feature category at the upcoming Oscars. Though the movie is in Hindi (it will feature English-language subtitles), its director was born in Britain before emigrating to India and the movie is a co-production with the BBC and British Film Institute, allowing it to qualify as a UK movie (India also selected another movie to represent it at this year’s Oscars). But can it rise above the crop of other international features vying for Oscar glory? It is facing competition from the likes of The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Emilia Perez, Kneecap and more.
We’ll have to wait and see. But in the meantime, here is everything you need to know about Santosh, from when it is premiering to who’s in it and the movie’s trailer.
Santosh release date
Though Santosh is the UK’s selection for the Oscars, at this time, the movie does not have a confirmed UK release date. It does, however, have one for the US, with it being released on December 27.
The movie originally premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was part of the Un Certain Regard section.
Santosh cast
Playing the titular role of Santosh in the movie is Shahana Goswami. The Indian actress has worked primarily in her home country, with some of her biggest credits including Rock On!!, Firaaq, Thinkistan and Four Years Later.
Also part of the cast are Sunita Rajwar (Panchayat), Sanjay Bishnoi (Delhi Crime) and Shashi Beniwal, in their acting debut.
Santosh plot
Written by Sandhya Suri, here is the official synopsis for Santosh:
“Newly widowed Santosh inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.”
Santosh trailer
Watch the trailer for Santosh right here:
Santosh reviews
Critics first got their eyes on Santosh back at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where the early reviews were quite good. The movie’s initial batch of reviews have it scoring a 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as of December 4.
Santosh awards
Here's a roundup of the major awards that Santosh has earned to date:
British Independent Film Awards
- Best British Independent Film (nominee)
- Best Screenplay — Sandhya Suri (nominee)
- Best Debut Screenwriter — Sandhya Suri (nominee)
- Breakthrough Producer — Balthazar de Ganay & James Bowsher(nominee)
National Board of Review
- Top 5 International Film
Santosh director
Sandhya Suri, in addition to writing the script, directed Santosh. This is the first narrative feature that Suri has directed, though she has a number of documentaries to her name. This includes I for India (2005), Around India with a Movie Camera (2018) and the short documentary The Field (2018), the latter of which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film.
Santosh behind the scenes
Santosh is an international collaboration. In addition to the BBC and British Film Institute, the movie is backed by Germany’s ZDF and France’s Arte. Additional production companies include the UK’s Good Chaos, India’s Suitable Pictures, Germany’s Razor Films and France’s Haut et Court. Santos’ producers are Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay and Alan McAlex. Metrograph Pictures is handling US distribution for the movie.
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