India’s Homebound is out of the Oscars race – Beyond Bollywood

Director Neeraj Ghaywan and Dharma Productions’ social drama fails to get a nomination for Best International Feature at the upcoming 98^th Academy Awards.

By Mayur Lookhar

Indian cinema’s long cherished Oscar dream remains unfulfilled, as director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound failed to secure a nomination in the Best International Feature category at the upcoming Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars.

The five films that made it to the final nominations in Best International Feature category are:

1 The Secret Agent – Brazil

2 It Was Just an Accident – France

3 Sentimental Value – Norway

4 Sirât – Spain

5 The Voice of Hind Rajab –
Tunisia

Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival last year. Though it earned acclaim, it did not win any awards there. Dharma Productions later came on board as a presenter and eventually became the film’s producer. The film released in India on September 26 on limited screens and made little impact at the box office. Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese also aligned with the Indian project as an executive producer. Homebound lead cast includes Vishal Jethwa, Ishaan Khatter and Jahnvi Kapoor in a cameo role.

Ghaywan’s film draws inspiration from columnist Basharat Peer’s 2020 New York Times article, initially titled “A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway,” later changed to “Bringing Amrit Home.” The piece recounts the tragic story of Hindu migrant worker Amrit Kumar and his Muslim friend Mohammad Saiyub, stranded in Surat during India’s first COVID-19 lockdown as they struggled to get home. While the film takes creative liberties that deviate from real events, it later courted controversy months after release when journalist and author Pooja Changoilwala sent a legal notice to the makers, claiming the title and content were inspired by her book Homebound

‘Homebound’ failing to get a nomination extends Indian cinema’s long wait for Oscar recognition. The last Indian feature to earn a nomination was Aamir Khan’s Lagaan (2001). Last year, Payal Kapadia’s international co-production All We Imagine as Light was rejected by the Film Federation of India as India’s entry but still bagged a nomination in the Best Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on 15 March, 2026 at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, LA.

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