Neeraj Ghaywan’s latest film Homebound has been named as India’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. Homebound has been recognised with a standing ovation at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and also during its screening at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Homebound (2025) by Neeraj Ghaywan
A film comes along rarely that makes you utterly speechless and so agitated that words themselves seem insufficient. Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound (2025) is one such cinematic accomplishment. The film penetrates through the delicate texture of India’s democratic facade, uncovering the deep social institutions of caste, class, and privilege with compassion and fury. The film is co-written by Basharat Peer and assisted by producers Karan Johar and Martin Scorsese. This film is a brave, steadfast adventure into human pain, systemic pressure, and moral decay.
The story that hits too close to home
Homebound immerses the viewer in an ocean of quiet suffering and tormenting beauty. Ghaywan’s storytelling doesn’t depend on spectacle or emotionalism; instead, it flourishes on honesty. The film’s protagonists, who are coming back to their village during COVID, like the migrant workers coming back home evolves a mirror reflect the invisible constraints of Indian society. Every frame holds a slow-burning pain, revealing how oppression hides beneath politeness, how silence becomes conspiracy, and how identity grows into both weapon and wound.
The writing by Basharat Peer apprehends the suffering of those forgotten by history. His pen limits no one, not the state, not the privileged, and certainly not the audience’s conscience. Ghaywan’s direction is raw yet poetic. Every frame feels lived-in, every silence deafening. The performances are impeded and deeply human, which heightens the film into an experience rather than just a story.
Cinema as resistance in a fractured democracy
What truly makes Homebound extraordinary is its boldness. In a nation where democracy often feels performative and dissent is viewed as something risky, Ghaywan’s film stands tall as an act of resistance. It’s a reminder that cinema can still question power, generate compassion, and act as a mirror reflecting society’s moral disappointments.
Homebound (2025) is not an easy watch, and it’s not meant to be. It mandates that you feel, think, and question. It leaves you shaken, perhaps even culpable, but also grateful that such stories are still being told.
When and where to watch?
Homebound will be streaming on Netflix, which was substantiated by the film’s official posters. The exact release date on the platform has not been stated yet. The film is anticipated to start streaming by November 2025. It shall follow the usual eight-week gap between theatrical and digital releases, as stated by OTTplay. This will give an opportunity to the audiences around the world to experience the film ahead of the Oscar season.
