Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ will represent India at the Oscars

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound will represent India in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The Film Federation of India, which selects India’s Oscar entry year, made the announcement today in Kolkata.

N Chandra chaired the Oscar selection jury, which also had 13 other members. The decision was unanimous, a press statement said.

The Hindi-language Homebound follows Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), two impoverished young men desperately trying to rise above circumstances dictated by their respective social identities. Ghaywan’s second movie after Masaan was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The Dharma Productions film also boasts of Martin Scorsese as an executive producer.

The cast includes Janhvi Kapoor, Shalini Vatsa and Shreedhar Dubey. Ghaywan based Homebound on a New York Times article by Basharat Peer from 2020.

In an interview with Scroll after the premiere at Cannes, Ghaywan said about the film: “People are all victims of circumstances. It’s not about ideology or community. It’s actually people failing people. What if we practise a bit of humanity and empathy and listen to the other side?”

The 98th edition of the Oscars, officially known as the Academy Awards, will be held in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026. Five titles will compete for the Best International Film.

In his statement following the selection, Ghaywan said: “I’m deeply honoured that...

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