Mahavatar Narsimha Enters Oscars 2026 Race

Drawing from ancient Hindu mythology, the film tells the story of Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Set against the backdrop of a world ruled by demigods and demons, the narrative follows the tyrant king Hiranyakashyap, who receives near-immortality from Lord Brahma and declares himself a god. His young son, Prahlad — a devout follower of Vishnu — becomes the target of his rage. Despite multiple attempts on his life, Prahlad survives, leading to Vishnu’s fiery manifestation as Narasimha, who ultimately destroys Hiranyakashyap and restores cosmic order.

Mahavatar Narsimha combines mythological storytelling with modern cinematic style, blending 2D–3D animation, large-scale action sequences and anime-inspired visual language. Directed by debut filmmaker Ashwin Kumar and written by a team including Jayapurna Das and Rudra Pratap Ghosh, the film is produced by Kleem Productions in association with Hombale Films.

The voice cast includes Aditya Raj Sharma, Haripriya Matta, and Priyanka Bhandari in key roles.

Following a successful box-office run and global attention, the film has now cleared the eligibility criteria required by the Academy, placing it among 35 competing animated titles worldwide. While qualification does not guarantee a nomination, a final shortlist entry would make Mahavatar Narsimha the first Indian animated feature in Oscars history to receive a nomination.

With its growing international attention, cultural depth and cinematic ambition, Mahavatar Narsimha represents a turning point for India’s animation industry on the global stage.