- KR Bharat
- 2025-12-17
Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ Shortlisted for Best International Feature at Oscars
Acclaimed filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s drama Homebound has been shortlisted in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, placing it among 15 global contenders. The film, produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, premiered earlier this year in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.
Expressing his joy, producer Karan Johar said he was “over the moon” about the film’s journey from Cannes to the Oscars shortlist. Sharing a screenshot of the Academy’s announcement on social media, Johar called the achievement overwhelming and praised Ghaywan for bringing the project to life. He described Homebound as a proud addition to Dharma Productions’ filmography and thanked the entire cast and crew for their efforts.
Homebound will compete for a nomination alongside films such as Argentina’s Belén, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Japan’s Kokuho, Norway’s Sentimental Value, South Korea’s No Other Choice, Spain’s Sirat, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, and Palestine’s Palestine 36.
The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles. Inspired by journalist Basharat Peer’s New York Times article Taking Amrit Home (also titled A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway), the story explores the bond between two childhood friends—a Muslim and a Dalit—who aspire for dignity and social acceptance through securing a police job.
Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese is associated with the project as an executive producer, further elevating its global profile.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also announced shortlists in 11 other categories, including the newly introduced Casting category. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 22, 2026.
The 98th Oscars ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood and will be broadcast live on ABC across more than 200 territories worldwide.
