Neeraj Ghaywan's critically acclaimed drama Homebound is heading to OTT after its successful theatrical run. Produced by Karan's Dharma Productions, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles. Martin Scorsese served as the film's executive producer. The film will be released on Netflix on November 21, according to reports.
Homebound had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this year where it reportedly received a nine–minute standing ovation. The film, based on a New York Times article by Basharat Peer from 2020, has been selected as India's official entry for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category. It was theatrically released on September 26 to positive responses from audiences and critics. Homebound has also recently secured a gala screening at the Marrakech International Film Festival.
A screening of the film was recently organised in New York by Scorsese where the legendary filmmaker said, "We worked on the film and I loved the film and I was telling your actors that I have seen it so many times while 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 3 years so honestly it is quite satisfying that it is here. I love that audiences in America get to see this picture," he added about the film which also stars Vijay Vikram Singh, Shalini Vatsa, Chandan K. Anand, and Harshika Parmar in supporting roles.
The film had also received outpouring love from several celebrities including Anjali Menon and Pa Ranjith for its raw portrayal of casteism and its impact on society. Our CE review of the film by Namrata Joshi read, "Ghaywan holds an unpleasant mirror up to the society. As a character castigates the entitled people in the film: “Aise hi naya samaaj banayenge aap log!” (Is this how you’ll build a new society?). By continuing with the bigotry? Or as Shoaib puts it, if the educated can’t talk about change, there’s very little hope. Homebound gives voice to the voiceless but more significantly implicates and indicts the powerful and the privileged for the status quo. It's a film powered by vital, essential urgency of the times, and for the times."