New York, NY – In a significant show of support for Indian cinema, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese hosted a special screening of "Homebound," India's official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards, in New York City. The screening was attended by the film's director, Neeraj Ghaywan, and lead actors Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa.
"Homebound," directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, has been making waves on the international film festival circuit. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025, where it received a nine-minute standing ovation. It also earned acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025, securing the title of second runner-up for the International People's Choice Award.
The film, which stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, tells the story of two childhood friends from a small village in North India who dream of becoming police officers. It is inspired by a New York Times article by Basharat Peer and documents the socio-political realities of contemporary India, capturing the unprecedented displacement of migrant workers across the country following the outbreak of COVID-19.
The screening in New York marks the beginning of "Homebound's" Oscar campaign. Scorsese, who is an executive producer on the film, participated in a question and answer session with director Neeraj Ghaywan after the screening.
Following the screening, Ghaywan shared his thoughts on the experience on X (formerly Twitter), calling it the "highest point" of his career. He wrote, "Sitting across from him is the highest point in my career in cinema. Mr. Martin Scorsese, the EP on #Homebound hosted a screening and did a QnA with me in NYC!". He also recounted a humorous anecdote about Scorsese sharing a story of being mistaken for the Hillside Strangler by the police to ease his nerves before the Q&A.
Dharma Productions, the studio behind "Homebound," shared glimpses from the event on Instagram, calling it "a night to remember". The post highlighted the love surrounding the team at the screening in NYC, hosted by executive producer Martin Scorsese.
The film was chosen as India's official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards, beating out other contenders, including the highest-grossing Indian movie, "Pushpa 2". Other films in contention were the Telugu film "Kannappa", "Kuberaa" (in Tamil and Telugu), and Anupam Kher-directed "Tanvi the Great". The selection was announced by N Chandra, the chairperson of the selection committee, who noted that 24 films in different languages were considered.
"Homebound" was released theatrically on September 26, 2025, to critical acclaim. Critics have praised Ghaywan's direction, the writing and dialogues, performances, and the film's themes and editing. The film's handling of caste-narrative and social commentary has also received praise.
The film is produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla.
