Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ named India’s official entry for 2026 Oscars

KOLKATA: Just days before its nationwide release, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Hindi film ‘Homebound’ has bagged a huge honour.

It’s been chosen as India’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, the film will hit theatres on September 26. Backed by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, the project also boasts a big Hollywood connection, veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese is one of the executive producers.

The announcement was made in Kolkata on Friday evening by N Chandra, chairperson of the selection committee of the Film Federation of India (FFI), the body responsible for choosing India’s Oscar entry.

Among the 24 films submitted this year, ‘Homebound’ was unanimously picked by a 14-member jury panel, said Chandra. “It was not an easy decision. We weren’t acting as judges but as coaches. ‘Homebound’ stood out as it is an extremely well-researched, well-written and well-acted film. May this film bring the Oscar for us,” he said.

Minutes after the announcement, Johar shared the posters on Instagram, writing: “One of the ‘pinch me’ moments that I will NEVER forget!!!!” Ghaywan, who first made waves at Cannes in 2010 with ‘Masaan’, posted the film’s poster with the caption: “OMG!!! This is real!!” Janhvi also took to Instagram to share her feelings. “Every part of this film has been nothing short of a dream. The journey, the people, what this story means, and how personal it’s been for everyone in our team. At every step I have been thankful I could witness this journey, which in my mind was truly the reward in itself,” she wrote.

‘Homebound’ has already been a festival favourite. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, it received a nine-minute standing ovation. It later went on to become the second runner-up for the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is based on the New York Times article ‘Taking Amrit Home’ and follows the story of two childhood friends from a north Indian village, one Muslim, one Dalit, who form a bond. Last year, India sent Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’ to the Oscars, also set in rural India, though it didn’t make the cut. When asked about the similarities, Chandra clarified, “We can’t compare it with ‘Laapataa Ladies’. This was an independent decision. Out of the 24 submissions, we felt ‘Homebound’ has all the potential to be sent for Oscars. It just happens to have a rural backdrop and deals with caste, talks about friendship and societal divide. For us, it was the complete package.”

Other films in the running included Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘I Want to Talk’, Anupam Kher’s ‘Tanvi The Great’, the much-controversial ‘The Bengal Files’, Allu Arjun’s blockbuster ‘Pushpa 2’, Akshay Kumar’s ‘Kesari Chapter 2’, indie gem ‘Superboys of Malegaon’, Telugu hit ‘Kannappa’, Manoj Bajpayee’s acclaimed ‘Jugnuma’, Pratik Gandhi’s ‘Phule’, along with several Marathi films such as ‘Aata Thambaycha Naay’ and ‘Dashavatar’. Firdausul Hasan, president of the FFI, added. “FFI remains committed to showcasing the very best of Indian cinema on the global stage. We’ve been sending films to the Oscars since 1957, when ‘Mother India’ became our first official entry.”