Hombale Films' Mahavatar Narsimha is inching closer to the coveted Oscars trophy. The 2D and 3D animated feature directed by Ashwin Kumar, which was submitted for consideration at the upcoming Oscars 2026, has become eligible under the Best Animated Feature Film category.
The mythological story, which tells the story of Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu and his father and mighty king Hiranyakashipu, is one of the 35 films selected to compete in the category. The other popular films competing are The Bad Guys 2, Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, KPop Demon Hunters, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants and The Twits, among others.
If it makes the final list of nominees, it would be the first Indian animated feature film ever to be nominated in that category, a historic milestone for Indian animation, given its massive box office success which earned over Rs 300 crore. Flow, from Latvia, directed by Gints Zilbalodis won the award in the category last year.
Directed by Ashwin Kumar, Mahavatar Narsimha had an initial release in Indian theatres on July 25 which was expanded to multiple countries across the world including Sri Lanka, Australia, Malaysia, and across Europe from July 31. Despite stiff competition from star-powered films like Coolie, War 2 and a host of other releases that dominated theatres, the film continued its dream run with a good occupancy in India as well as overseas with an Indian expatriate population.
The well-known Hindu myth of Prahlada revolves around his devotion for Lord Vishnu. His father, Hiranyakashipu—a mighty king and a staunch atheist—is enraged by his son's unwavering faith. Granted near-immortality by Lord Brahma, Hiranyakashipu repeatedly tries to eliminate Prahlada. But when his cruelty reaches its peak, Lord Vishnu intervenes in his fierce fourth incarnation, Narasimha, to protect Prahlada and vanquish the tyrant king.
Presented by Hombale Films, the film was backed by Kleem Productions and produced by Shilpa Dhawan, Kushal Desai, and Chaitanya Desai. Mahavatar Narsimha featured an original score by composer Sam CS while the screenplay was penned by Jayapurna Das and Rudra Pratap Ghosh.
This film is the first in Hombale Films' ambitious Mahavatar Cinematic Universe which features a slate of animated films based on the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The films will be released between 2025 and 2037. The next film in line is Mahavatar Parashuram, which is set for a 2027 release.
Mahavatar Narsimha is currently streaming on Netflix.
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.