Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound made its official entry in the Best International Feature Film Category at the 98th Academy Awards. The shortlists invasion categories were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts on 16th December. The shortlists include the categories of Casting, Animated short film, cinematography, Documentary feature film, International feature film, Documentary short film, Live action short film, Makeup and hairstyling, Music, Sound, and visual effects.
Homebound, which is produced under the Dharma Productions starring Ishan Khattar, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, will now be moving to the next round, that is, the nomination round, with 15 other movies. To decide the final list, Academy members from all branches will be invited to watch all 15 movies and vote. After the movie was shortlisted, Karan Johar shared the news via his social media account. Along with Homebound, the director-producer shared the list of other movies that have been shortlisted for the next round.
The executive producer of Homebound is Martin Scorsese, and the movie revolves around the story of two childhood friends, Shoiab and Chandan, played by Ishan and Vishal, respectively. The duo chase a dream to become police officers for respect and dignity, as their tale takes about the socio-political realities of the country. The movie was originally based on the famous article by Basharat Peer, “Taking Amrit Home”, featured in The New York Times.
Homebound also featured at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and the Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in theatres on September 26, after receiving applause at Cannes. Before Homebound, only four Indian films have gone to the shortlist round; these include Mother India by Mehboob Khan, the first Entry of an Indian movie to the Oscars. Salaam Bombay, by Mira Nair, was the second to make it to the last, 30 years after Mother India in 1988.
Later, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan in 2001 entered the Academy Awards shortlist, and the latest instance was in 2021, when a Gujarati coming-of-age film, Pan Nalin, made it to the list. Homebound’s entry is a proud moment for India, as we wait to see how the movie fares in the upcoming stages.
