Homebound Out Of Oscars 2026 Race - What Does This Mean To Indian Cinema

After impressing the Indian audience, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2026. Backed by Martin Scorsese, the film starred Vishal Jethwa, Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, Shalini Vats and many more. On January 22, the final Oscars 2026 nominations list was announced. Homebound, which was competing for a nod in the Best International Feature Film category, was snubbed. This eliminated India’s chance to bring home the trophy. Laapataa Ladies, in 2025, faced a similar situation. Zoom reached out to trade experts to decode what Homebound’s Oscar loss meant to Indian cinema. Expressing disappointment, cinema analysts and box office gurus applauded the film and its team for coming this far in the competition.

Trade experts say Oscar snub won't affect Homebound's merit

Girish Johar, a film producer and trade expert, maintained an optimistic approach. He felt Homebound is a prestigious movie that earned accolades and a loyal audience, and for it to not win a nomination wouldn’t take away its merit. “As a fellow fraternity member, it does not take anything away from the film itself. It is just one award function, but it is prestigious enough. However, it doesn’t take anything away,” he shared.

Veteran trade expert Ramesh Bala, who was initially disappointed to learn about the snub, then believed Homebound has done the best it could. Lauding the team’s effort in taking the film to the shortlist, he believed, “Making it to the shortlist in itself is an achievement. Not many Indian movies have come this close. Many movies are out even in the earlier rounds themselves. It got good reach in Hollywood due to Martin Scorsese. The film went to international festivals, and I'm sure a lot of people will watch it. I wanted it to reach the final round and bring the trophy home, but it is not happening now. But at least, we know that movies like Homebound, which are truly rooted in India, are getting recognised.” He added, “At least other filmmakers can follow this route and in future years, you know, they can make movies like that, which can travel this far.”

Why Homebound couldn't win Oscars 2026 nomination?

Differing from other opinions on Homebound, Sumit Kadel shared, “Homebound could make it to the Oscar nomination list because the subject is too common. Stories of oppression lack novelty and have been made many times in India and across the world.” Adding more to why Homebound and other Indian films fail to win Oscars, Kadel said, “The industry has always failed to send films that could make it to the nomination list. It is not easy, as it requires extensive campaigning and lobbying at international forums to even stand a chance of a nomination. Very few filmmakers can do that- hence, many deserving films never reach the Academy.”

Oscar snub to discourage Indian filmmakers?

On the other side of the coin was Girish Johar, who revealed why Homebound’s snub would not discourage filmmakers from putting their films on a global map. “Many filmmakers are not aggressively pined to send their films to any international awards anyway. They are happier to have recognition from their own peers and the audience. It is one film and God willing, if you have other good films also, I'm sure that, this will also come our way,” he concluded.

Ramesh Bala opined that it is time for filmmakers to target the film festivals before eyeing an Oscar nod. He also suggested that international reviews play a crucial role in global visibility. “Suddenly, we can't send a movie to the Oscars without a noise in any of the big festivals. Our goal should be to premiere 2 to 3 movies at festivals like Cannes, Toronto etc and win some awards there. They will be automatically picked up by the international audience and the media. Then getting a nomination in Oscar or the Golden Globes and winning them will be easier,” he mentioned. He further pointed out, “Our Indian filmmakers are not focusing on that part. Many aren’t because of a lack of financial resources or backing from big studios. We should make more films like Homebound. Indian content should target film festivals and an international audience through that.”

Homebound accolades

Homebound, produced by Dharma Productions, was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2025, where it received a long standing ovation. It was showcased under the Un Certain Regard section, but did not win any award. Later, it was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the second runner-up for the International People's Choice Award.

Out of Oscars, in for National Award?

While Homebound missed the Oscars 2026, trade experts are optimistic that it could be one of the top contenders for this year’s National Award. With or without the Academy recognition, Indian cinema is proud of what Neeraj, Vishal, Ishaan, Janhvi and the entire team have pulled off. It is just the beginning of the awards ceremony.