New Delhi: Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has been selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2026 in the Best International Feature category.
“OMG!! This is real!!” Ghaywan wrote on Instagram, minutes after the announcement was made.
Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film features Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead. The film is set to release in Indian theatres on 26 September 2025.
Homebound is set during the early days of the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. It follows two friends and migrant workers as they journey on foot from Surat, Gujarat, to their hometown, Devari in Uttar Pradesh.
Well before its Oscar nomination, Homebound had already attracted international acclaim.
The film received a nine-minute-long standing ovation at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. It is based on journalist Basharat Peer’s article, ‘Taking Amrit Home’, published in The New York Times’ Sunday Opinion section on 31 July 2020.
Homebound also secured the second runner-up position for the coveted International People’s Choice Award at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
“I am thrilled, but not surprised. It’s a bold and deserving choice. Sending Homebound to the Oscars is a statement. It says we are confident in presenting a story that is deeply rooted in our soil, yet speaks a universal language of struggle, friendship, and aspiration,” said Netflix’s Kaala Paani fame Mahadev Singh.
“This isn’t just a film; it’s authentic, powerful Indian storytelling that deserves a global stage. The Academy values originality and authenticity, and Neeraj’s work is the very definition of that.”
Ghaywan’s filmography stands out for its quiet intensity, social realism, and deeply empathetic storytelling. He explores themes of caste, identity, gender, and trauma with subtlety and nuance, often centring marginalised voices.
Whether it’s Masaan, his Made in Heaven episodes, or Geeli Pucchi, Ghaywan avoids melodrama, relying instead on layered characters, restrained dialogue, and powerful silences. His work challenges societal norms without overt messaging.
“Neeraj’s films stand out because they’re so rooted in reality yet incredibly moving,” said filmmaker Rahul Rawat, who has been associated with projects like Anupamaa, Crime Patrol and Gulbadan.
“He takes everyday lives and social issues like caste, class, gender and tells them with such empathy that they never feel heavy-handed. Masaan, Juice, and now Homebound all show that same sensitivity.”
Ghaywan’s evolution
Mahadev Singh describes Ghaywan’s work as “cinema of quiet dignity”. What sets his filmography apart is deep-rooted empathy and honesty.
“Ghaywan’s films hold a mirror to society, allowing the characters’ truths to seep slowly into your consciousness,” Singh said.
Ghaywan often centres those living on the margins, yet never reduces them to victimhood. He portrays them with immense grace.
“There is a raw, lived-in authenticity to his worlds that is incredibly rare. He makes you feel like you are not just watching a story, but breathing the same air as the characters. That, for me, is the signature of a master filmmaker,” Singh said.
Everyone who has worked with or encountered Ghaywan speaks highly of him. Director Rawat calls him “grounded and kind, with a quiet thoughtfulness”.
Actor Sheena Chohan, who recently met him at the premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s Nishaanchi, describes him as “intelligent and empathetic”.
“He’s responsive and warm with everyone, and generous with his support for fellow artists. Empathy radiates from him,” she said.
The trailer for Ghaywan’s latest film, Homebound, released on 17 September, instantly created a stir. Industry heavyweights, from Alia Bhatt to Priyanka Chopra, applauded the first look.
“Even from the trailer, it’s clear how much Neeraj has evolved since Masaan,” said Chohan, who also serves as a UN Human Rights Ambassador.
“I don’t mean just physically around the world, but Masaan opened doors for him which he walked through, which allowed him to personally grow, and from the trailer, I can see the language of a director who has walked many roads since his first film.”
According to Rawat, Masaan and Homebound have one thing in common: Ghaywan’s voice.
“While Masaan was more lyrical and reflective, Homebound feels raw, urgent, and anchored in the chaos of the pandemic. Yet both films explore how people cling to dignity and love in the harshest conditions,” he said.
Even for Singh, Ghaywan’s signature is clear in the trailer: moody atmospheres, intimate character work, and stories rooted in India’s heartland, where social systems press heavily on individual dreams. However, there is a natural evolution in his storytelling.
“Like Masaan, Homebound seems to examine the yearning to escape a predetermined fate. But this time, the approach is different. Homebound looks like a more direct confrontation with the system. The narrative engine appears to be driven less by internal loss and more by an external, high-stakes fight for a better life,” Singh added.
Chohan believes both Ghaywan and Homebound have the kind of authenticity the Oscar jury is looking for. “We might have a chance to bring the Oscar home with such a sensitive filmmaker representing us,” she said.
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A unanimous choice
In the film, two friends who have endured a lifetime of discrimination dream of joining the police force. With no response after a year, they turn to daily-wage work until Covid-19 and the lockdown disrupt that too.
“The hardest part was to create backstories of these characters when one has not lived their reality or their environments,” Ghaywan told ThePrint in a conversation in June this year.
Along with touring the hinterlands of North India for some time, Ghaywan travelled with Peer to meet the people from the article. However, a major part of the background came from his own childhood and experiences as a person from the same communities as these characters.
“It was truly scary to put myself out there,” the filmmaker added.
Homebound was announced as India’s representation at the Oscars by N Chandra, chairperson of the selection committee, at a press conference in Kolkata on Friday.
A total of 24 films, including The Bengal Files, Pushpa 2, The Pyre, Kesari Chapter 2, Superboys of Malegaon, and Veera Chandrahasa, were in contention for representing the country at the Oscars.
“It was a very difficult choice. These were films that touched the lives of people… We were not judges but coaches. We were searching for players who have made their mark,” said Chandra, who took the decision along with 13 other members of the selection committee.
“Homebound was chosen unanimously by the jury to represent the country,” Chandra added.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)