Neeraj Ghaywan Reveals How Martin Scorsese Shaped Homebound At 'Every Step': He Gave Me Focus

Oscar winner Martin Scorsese took notice of Neeraj Ghaywan from his debut film, Masaan. A decade later, Scorsese is an executive producer on Neeraj's second film, Homebound. Starring Ishaan Khatter and

Vishal Jethwa, it is the story of two friends in rural India who face great hardships to land their first jobs and face tragedy during the lockdown. At an Oscar industry event in Los Angeles, Neeraj spoke about Scorsese's help on Homebound.

Neeraj Ghaywan on how Martin Scorsese gave him focus

At the Los Angeles event, Neeraj was on hand to campaign for Homebound along with its stars, Ishaan and Vishal. He told Deadline how the Oscar winner guided him through the entire filmmaking process. He said, "[Scorsese] started out with reading the script, and he told me how to go about it. We did a back-and-forth, and then again at the end stage he saw the first cut, and then he did a couple of rounds and he would guide with every step. … I had to have the focus, so he gave me that focus. … He gave life to all of our stories.”

Written and directed by Neeraj, Homebound is an op-ed essay from 2020 by Basharat Peer in The New York Times. Produced by Dharma Productions, the Hindi film also stars Janhvi Kapoor. In September 2025, it was chosen to represent India at the 2026 Oscars for the Best International Film category. ALSO READ: Martin Scorsese Hosts Screening Of Homebound In NYC; Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa Pose Proudly With Oscar Winner

Martin Scorsese on Homebound

Last week, the Raging Bull director hosted a screening of Homebound in New York City. At the question and answer session with Neeraj afterwards, Scorsese shared that he worked on the film for three years. He told Neeraj, "We worked on the film, and I loved the film, and I was telling your actors that I have seen it so many times… having gone through the script. I was making Killers of the Flower Moon, and that was a long film, and I was immersed in that. But I remember this, because I remember reading the script, and so in a way I have been living with it for three years, so honestly it is quite satisfying that it is here. I love that audiences in America get to see this picture."