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Neeraj Ghaywan’s latest film Homebound premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the “Un Certain Regard” sidebar this week with a rousing nine-minute standing ovation. It is a big return for Ghaywan, who made waves on the Croisette for the first time in 2015 with Masaan, a film that dealt with caste and loss with sensitivity on the banks of the Ganges.
Homebound, inspired by Basharat Peer’s New York Times piece Taking Amrit Home, follows the emotional and physical journey of two childhood friends—one Muslim, the other Dalit—as they trek across India during the COVID-19 lockdown to return to their village. The film is rooted in India’s harsh pandemic realities, during which millions of migrant workers were forced to walk hundreds of miles back home due to the abrupt national lockdown.
Starring Ishan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa as Mohammed Shoaib Ali and Chandan Kumar, the story translates not just their shared struggle but also each of their individuality and aspirations to escape social discrimination by joining the police force. Janhvi Kapoor plays an important part, adding depth of emotion to the cast.
Ghaywan himself being a Dalit, he has openly shared the enduring power of caste in his life. That frankness brings life into the narrative and forces it beyond the numbers and into the human—inviting the viewer to actually see the human tales behind the numbers.
The film received surprise but crucial backing from Bollywood giant Karan Johar, and Hollywood icon Martin Scorsese, who signed up as executive producer after being introduced to the project by French producer Mélita Toscan du Plantier. Scorsese praised the film as “a substantial contribution to Indian cinema,” in praise of its storytelling and cultural value.
The film’s premiere was a milestone moment for South Asian cinema, with heavyweights such as Mira Nair and Saim Sadiq in attendance. Homebound has been lauded by critics for its breathtaking cinematography, sentimental complexity, and smooth integration of fiction with brutal realities. Ghaywan’s direction holds viewers hooked while subtly hinting at the impending crisis of the pandemic.
Greater than a movie, Homebound is a public record—one that not only portrays adversity, but compels us to acknowledge it. It’s a call to notice what remains unseen, to know lives spent on the edges, and to empathize with what it feels like to travel home.
