In a significant leap for British-Indian cinema, Sandhya Suri’s gripping crime thriller Santosh (2024) has been chosen to represent the U.K. in the Oscars’ International Feature Film category. Following its acclaimed debut at Cannes earlier this year, where it premiered in the prestigious Un Certain Regard competition, the Hindi-language film is already generating considerable buzz. As the U.K. proudly eyes a second consecutive Oscar in this category, following its triumph with Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, all eyes are on Suri’s debut feature to carry the torch forward.

Santosh stands as an enthralling and introspective crime drama, set in rural northern India, that delves into the complexities of caste and gender. The film introduces audiences to Santosh, a recently widowed woman who unexpectedly inherits her late husband’s position as a police constable.

Played by the versatile Shahana Goswami, Santosh is quickly thrust into an...