The other day, Homebound filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan took to social media to share a memory from his childhood that he says perhaps inspired his film, which is India's official entry for Best International Feature Oscar next year. Sharing an excerpt from his interview with CBS Saturday Morning, Neeraj wrote, "This features a childhood photograph of me in a police uniform. Maybe that was the moment the seed of Homebound was first sown." The interview revealed that the film is deeply personal to Neeraj and that a large part of the character played by Vishal Jethwa, Chandan Kumar Valmiki, is based on the filmmaker's own life. "I sort of masqueraded as a member of the upper cast. The fear of abandonment was so much that I used to walk on eggshells around my friends," Neeraj revealed at the same time as his childhood photograph was juxtaposed with it. He went on to add, "It created a huge vacuum in me, a huge persona of insecurity. When you live a life of secrets, it is never a life fully lived."
Homebound tells the story of two friends Ishaan Khatter's Mohammed Shoaib Ali and Vishal's Chandan, who aspire to get into law enforcement one day. However, when only one of them gets a job offer, it creates a friction in their relationship. Partly set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, the film explores themes of caste-based discrimination and friendship. The other day, it entered the shorlist for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, alongside 14 other films. The final list of nominations are expected to be announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in January next year. According to industry insiders and film buffs, it has a great chance of going all the way and become India's first Oscar-winning film.
