Santosh streams on Lionsgate Play from 17 October – Beyond Bollywood

The social crime drama, which is yet to get a theatrical release in India, will now get a digital release enabling desi audiences to finally see the British film that is made in Hindi language.

By Our Correspondent

After earning critical acclaim at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, Santosh arrives on Indian screens with its digital premiere on Lionsgate Play on October 17. Directed by Sandhya Suri and produced by Good Chaos, Cinefrance Studios, and MetFilm Production, the film stars Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar in central roles.

Set in rural India, Santosh follows a young widow who steps into her late husband’s police uniform through a compassionate appointment. Her symbolic posting soon turns into a moral test when she becomes involved in the investigation of a Dalit teenager’s rape and murder. Partnered with Inspector Geeta Sharma, played by Rajwar, Santosh must confront the entrenched hierarchies of caste, gender, and power that distort justice and silence truth.

Suri’s film blends social commentary with psychological depth, exposing how systems of privilege can bury evidence and muffle voices. The narrative’s restrained tone and measured silences lend the story a quiet but unsettling power.

Speaking about the film, Shahana Goswami said, “Santosh is very close to my heart. It’s a truthful, beautifully written story that holds a mirror to the world we live in. Sandhya Suri has crafted something meaningful and deeply moving. It’s been wonderful to see how audiences around the world have responded to it since Cannes. Sunita Rajwar’s performance as Geeta Sharma is remarkable, audiences will see her in a completely new light.”

With its festival pedigree and unflinching gaze at social inequities, Santosh marks one of the year’s most anticipated streaming releases.

Santosh, a Hindi film, was United Kingdom’s official entry to Oscars, but failed to make it to final nomination.