Homebound, India’s submission to the Oscars, is one of the finest films of the year
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their Oscars shortlist for several awards categories, including International Feature Film. The list includes director Neeraj Ghaywan’s quiet drama Homebound, one of the best movies of the year.
Homebound centers the friendship between two young men, Chandan and Shoaib, who live in a North Indian village. The movie opens with the two joining a crowd of people at a train station, all assembled to take an exam to join the Indian Police Service. Immediately, we see how Chandan’s Dalit identity shapes his experience, from questioning whether he should take the exam in the first place, to his hesitance around sharing his real name or a bottle of water with a stranger.
The two friends are held in limbo for over a year as they await the exam results. Will they be able to realize their dream of middle class respectability and authority as part of India’s police force, or should they make other plans? Their decisions are complicated by their caste and religious identities, as well as their class and geographical status. Throughout the film, we see how these affect their aspirations and choices (and what choices are available at all), as well as those of their families. The movie does not shy away from portraying the realities of caste and anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in contemporary India.
As an Indian American Hindu who was born and has lived his whole life in the United States, I really appreciated the way the movie shows how Shoaib and Chandan navigate everyday life with their Muslim and Dalit identities in modern India. There is a harrowing scene in which Chandan visits the local police station to inquire about the exam results and is interrogated about his name (and caste identity). Shoiab has to go above and beyond in his workplace to prove himself, and is left questioning whether the constant indignities are worth putting up with. For many of us who are privileged Hindus, understanding these realities is essential, and Homebound provides a small window into those experiences.
I was surprised to see a movie that tackles these issues be submitted by India for consideration at the Oscars, given the increasingly aggressive censorship of films in India (submissions for the category are handled by each country, which can submit one film per year). Director Sandhya Suri’s magnificent 2024 movie Santosh, which deals with caste violence, misogyny and police corruption, was not allowed to screen in India. It made last year’s Oscar’s shortlist after it was submitted by the United Kingdom, rather than India (which also didn’t submit the widely-lauded All We Imagine as Light, opting instead for Laapataa Ladies). Homebound itself was required to make several cuts by India’s film censor board before it could screen in the country. Nor is censorship limited to more “independent” movies - Dev Patel’s popular 2024 action film Monkey Man is still unavailable to Indian audiences, after indefinite delays from the censor board.
At its core, Homebound is a beautiful portrayal of friendship, one that feels too rare in today’s cinema landscape. We see how Shoiab and Chandan support each other (and their families) in ways big and small, but also how the stresses and disappointments of their lives drive them apart. The portrayals of the leads by Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, as well as Shalini Vatsa’s moving depiction as Chandan’s mother, are absolutely captivating. The film’s choices in pacing and editing keep us engaged, and the ending (which shows the beginning of the COVID pandemic) hits with incredible force. On top of everything else, the movie is a fitting tribute to the real-life friends it is loosely based on (spoilers in link), as well as the kind of cross-community solidarity we rarely hear about today.
Homebound is streaming on Netflix in the U.S. and India, and is likely to get more attention as the Oscars race heats up. The current shortlist, which includes fifteen movies, was narrowed down from eighty-six submissions, and next month Academy members will begin the voting process. The shortlist this year also includes three excellent Palestinian films, All That Remains of You (submitted by Jordan), The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), and Palestine 36 (Palestine). The final five nominees will be announced on January 22, 2026, with the winner announced at the award ceremony on March 15. Homebound could become the fourth film from India to become nominated for an Oscar, joining Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Lagaan (2001), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988) and Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957, the first year India made a submission). India has never had a film win the award.
By Vivek Kembaiyan