Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound Shortlisted for Oscars

Mumbai: Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has been shortlisted for the Oscars. The film has been selected as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category. Homebound revolves around two friends from a village and their aspirations. 14 films have been shortlisted in the category. Filmmaker Karan Johar shared the screenshot of the shortlist to announce the news. The film had its world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Written and directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Homebound is based on an article written by Basharat Peer for The New York Times in 2020. Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, the film tells the story of two childhood friends striving to clear the national police examination. The film was released in theatres across India on September 26, while Netflix has acquired its OTT streaming rights. Homebound is also being screened in the Kaleidoscope section of the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala.

Other films shortlisted include Argentina’s Belen, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, the French film It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Japan’s Kokuho, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Palestine’s Palestine 36, South Korean hit No Other Choice, Spain’s Sirat, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, and the Tunisian film The Voice of Hind Rajab.