This year’s Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar (Hindi), directed by Aditya Dhar, has been selected as the opening feature film of Indian Panorama 2026, and ‘Becoming’ (Ladakhi), directed by Leena Yadav, has been selected as the opening non-feature film as part of Indian Panorama, a flagship component of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held in Goa beginning this Friday.
It has been decided to showcase 25 feature films, including five films in the Mainstream Cinema section, and 20 non-feature films for 2026. The feature films’ titles include Paro and The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond, Banaras, Oh My Dog in Hindi, Laalo - Krishna Sada Sahaayate in Gujarati, Sarvam Maya in Malayalam, Surjyamukhi in Assamese, Thaaj Kizhavi in Tamil, Aadi Anant in Marathi, Pagla Ghora in Bengali and Birds on Ice in Ladakhi, amongst others. The host ministry, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said it selected the feature-film entries from 404 contemporary Indian feature films. In comparison, the 20 non-feature films were selected from 358 entries.
While Dhurandhar in Hindi, Baapya in Marathi, and Kantara A Legend in Kannada are amongst the five mainstream films, non-feature film titles are The Unseen Holy River Saraswati, Shat Shat Atal, Amit Atal and Echoes of the last Shelter in Hindi, Nirmanjail and The Chandigarh of Maciej Nowicki in English and Naqsh-e-Daur in Kashmiri, amongst others.
Vishal Chaturvedi, the director of Hanuman Ansh in Hindi, has been nominated under the Best Debut Director category.
“Together, the selections bring a wide range of contemporary Indian filmmaking to the festival, spanning feature and non-feature forms and multiple languages.
Indian Panorama aims to select feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic, and aesthetic excellence the promote film art. The selection is undertaken by separate juries for feature and non-feature films, led by their respective chairpersons.
The Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film Award seeks to encourage fresh perspectives, innovative forms of expression and new talent in Indian cinema,” said a MIB official.
The Feature Film Jury, comprising 12 members, was headed by National Film Award-winning film director and producer Madhur Bhandarkar. The selected feature-film package comprises 20 films in the Indian Panorama Feature Film section and five films in the Mainstream Cinema section.
The Non-Feature Film Jury, comprising six members, was headed by renowned film director and educationist Himanshu Sekhar Khatua. A package of 20 non-feature films has been selected from 358 contemporary Indian non-feature film entries. The package reflects the capacity of emerging and established filmmakers to document, investigate, entertain and engage with contemporary Indian values.
Introduced in 1978 under the umbrella of IFFI, Indian Panorama promotes Indian films and the country’s rich culture and heritage through cinematic art. It showcases the best Indian films of the year and promotes film art through non-profit screenings.
Beyond their screening at IFFI, selected films may be presented at international film festivals in India and abroad, Indian Film Weeks held under Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes, specialised Indian Film Festivals outside cultural exchange protocols, and special Indian Panorama festivals in India.