India’s Homebound has been shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, the Academy announced alongside shortlists for 12 other categories. The list features
15 films advancing to the next round from 86 eligible countries and regions. Sidharth Malhotra recently took to Instagram to celebrate this proud moment for Indian cinema.
Taking to his Story, he wrote, “Congratulations to the entire team of Homebound for being shortlisted at the 98th Academy Awards, proud moment!” He tagged Karan Johar, Neeraj Ghaywan, Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor in his Story. Have a look here:
Earlier today, Kiara Advani also lauded this milestone and wrote on Instagram, “Congratulations Team Homebound!!!” Dharma Movies’ official Instagram page also shared, “Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we’ve received from around the world.”
Taking to Instagram, Karan Johar also shared a screenshot of the official shortlist and poured his heart out in a long, emotional note. He wrote, “I am not sure I can articulate how proud, elated and over the moon I am with the journey of #HOMEBOUND… all of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography … thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true… from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film!!!!!!!!! Upwards and onwards…….. #HOMEBOUND streaming now on @netflix_in.”
Homebound tells the story of Chandan and Shoaib, two friends navigating deep-rooted societal injustices related to caste and religion. Their bond is put to the test as the COVID-19 pandemic alters the course of their lives, adding emotional and social complexity to the narrative.
Director Neeraj Ghaywan explained the film’s origins: “Homebound started with this op-ed essay in The New York Times. It was a true story that happened in India, and it was a story of friendship and what happened to these friends during the journey [during] the pandemic… I wanted to use that as a base friendship, as a strong way to talk about our bigger concerns that the world is now grappling with, which is that what makes migrants leave their homes in rural India or across the world? What are the things that motivate them? It’s not just jobs, it’s not just money, it’s also existential.”
