Homebound, Neeraj Ghaywan’s latest, masterfully depicts the bonds of friendship, struggle, and resilience. Though Ghaywan’s last film was the award-winning Masaan, he is gaining popularity faster than ever with this latest release and is already receiving Oscar nomination.
Homebound revolves around the lives of two friends during the COVID crisis, and the intersecting systems of oppression such as caste and poverty. Set in contemporary India and taking COVID-related challenges to the next level, this film is already winning awards and is going to star in the prestigious Oscar awards.
| Director | Neeraj Ghaywan |
| Writers | Neeraj Ghaywan, Shreedhar Dubey, Varun Grover |
| Producers | Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, Adar Poonawalla (Dharma Productions); Martin Scorsese (executive) |
| Genre | Drama |
| Release Date | Theatrical: 26 September 2025; OTT: 21 November 2025 |
| Runtime | 2 hours 2 minutes |
| Language | Hindi |
| Cast (Leads) | Ishaan Khatter (Mohammed Shoaib Ali), Vishal Jethwa (Chandan Kumar Valmiki), Janhvi Kapoor (Sudha Bharti) |
| Supporting Cast | Harshika Parmar (Vaishali), Shalini Vatsa (Phool), Pankaj Dubey (Hassan Ali), Shreedhar Dubey (Vikas Tripathi), Dadhi R Pandey (Avdesh Kumar), Sudipta Saxena (Shehnaz Ali), Chandan K Anand (Haroon Nawaz), Vijay Vikram Singh, Yogendra Vikram Singh |
| Music | Amit Trivedi |
| Cinematography | Pratik Shah |
| Editor | Nitin Baid |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
| Awards | India’s Oscar entry (shortlisted for Best International Feature); |
Overview
Homebound
Genre
Drama
Language
Hindi
Release Date
26 September 2025
Cast & Crew
The lead Mohammed Shoaib Ali is played by Ishaan Khatrir. Mohammed is a young, devout Muslim who faces a lot of discrimination in his life. Chandan Kumar Valmiki, a Dalit and Shoaib’s best friend, is played by Vishal Jehwa.
The role of the mother Phool is played by Shalini Vatsa alongside a wildly talented supporting cast who all compliment each other such as Harshika Parmar as Vaishali, Chandan’s sister, and Janhvi Kapoor in a strong supporting role as Sudha Bharti moderating the emotional tone of the film.
Ghaywan has written and directed this motion picture, and as of now, he is the most suited to the role as he has first-hand experience of the Dalit caste. Film production was done by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra, and Adar Poonawala with Emperor Scorsese as the executive producer.
Where to Watch
The film was released in cinemas in India on 26 September 2025. Censorship debates sparked by mandated cuts from the CBFC surfaced, and although changes had to be made to the dialogues and visuals, the film’s core was left untouched.
Homebound is available to stream on Netflix from 21 November 2025. The film got entry for the Oscars in the category of Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards, for which it was subsequently shortlisted.
Reasons to Watch
- Ghaywan’s direction is one of the main reasons this film is a masterpiece.
- It tackles every subject, from caste to religion, and gender to class, in a seamless manner.
- Khatter and Jethwa offer endearing and unpredictable turns.
- The film’s compassion particularly shines through soft family privilege clashes and riverside reflections.
- It is a must-watch for fans of realistic dramas, providing sparks of hope in deeply pessimistic circumstances.
Videos
Trailer
FAQs
What true story inspired the making of Homebound?
Homebound is a dramatisation of the struggles faced by the migrants in the first New York Time’s Covid 2020 article by journalist Basharat Peer.
Who is in the lead actor and actress roles?
Leading actress and actor roles are played by Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, while Vishal Jethwa plays a supporting role.
How long is Homebound expected to run?
The expected run-time of Homebound is 2 hours.
Does Homebound have English subtitles?
Yes, it is available in Netflix globally.
Why watch Homebound now?
It is a realistic Bollywood drama where the story is very timely, and it has Oscar buzz for performances.
