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‘Homebound’ selected as India’s 2026 Oscar entry
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla’s Dharma Productions, ‘Homebound’ recently drew a strong reception on the festival circuit.
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Pranavi Sharma - Sat, 20, Sep 2025
- 03:07 EDT
- 9
Poster of the film. / Karan Johar via Instagram
Neeraj Ghaywan’s Hindi film ‘Homebound’ has been chosen as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced on Sept.19.
The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Jahnvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles. It is adapted from a 2020 article by Basharat Peer in The New York Times.
The official synopsis of ‘Homebound’ describes it as the story of “two childhood friends from a small North Indian village [who] chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.”
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla’s Dharma Productions, ‘Homebound’ recently drew a strong reception on the festival circuit. Less than a week ago, it earned a standing ovation from nearly 2,000 people at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it finished as second runner-up in the International People’s Choice Award category. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May in the Un Certain Regard section, where it received a nine-minute standing ovation.
ALSO READ: Ishaan Khatter-starrer ‘Homebound' selected for TIFF 2025
Reacting to the selection, Ghaywan wrote on X, “OMG!! This is real! Homebound is India’s official entry to compete for the Best International Feature at the 98th Academy awards!!”
Johar also expressed his gratitude in a post on Instagram. “One of the ‘pinch me’ moments that I will NEVER forget!!!! Extremely honoured, humbled and ecstatic that our film #Homebound is selected as India’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards! Our deepest gratitude to the @filmfederationofindia to believe in the story, in us and what we can bring to the world stage for Indian cinema. Heartiest congratulations to the entire team.”
The film, which lists Martin Scorsese as its executive producer, is scheduled for theatrical release on Sept. 26. The 98th Academy Awards will be held on Mar. 15, 2026.
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