Homebound trailer: Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa face casteism, communalism for police job dream; viewers moved to tears

Homebound trailer: Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa star as two friends looking for respect in the society in this Neeraj Ghaywan film.

Updated on: Sep 17, 2025, 12:11:02 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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The trailer of Neeraj Ghaywan's acclaimed film Homebound was finally unveiled for Indian audiences on Wednesday morning. The film, which premiered at Cannes and won at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a moving tale of two friends' struggles against casteism and communal discrimination as they try to achieve their dream of becoming policemen.

Homebound trailer

The trailer shows two friends in rural India - Mohammad Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan Kumar (Vishal Jethwa) - preparing for police recruitment exams. Shoaib works as an office boy in an MNC and faces discrimination on account of his religion, while Chandan, a Dalit, is privy to jibes about his caste. Both feel that a government job, particularly one with a vardi (uniform) will help them earn the respect that society has denied them. Janhvi Kapoor also appears in the film as a friend of the two, a young PhD aspirant who is battling restrictions of her own.

The trailer was shared by Dharma Productions, the studio backing the film, on their YouTube and social media on Wednesday morning. It moved the viewers, who found it touching and somewhat jarring as well. "My God. All are too good... batana mushkil hai kisne jada acha kaam kia hai (It's difficult to say who has done better)," read a comment. Another viewer added, "Cried while watching this trailer! As an aspiring filmmaker from a middle-class family after being rejected from film school, I can relate a lot. It's so inspiring to see this kind of film, stories, and filmmakers are getting celebrated!"

All about Homebound

The film is based on a true story that was originally recounted in a 2020 New York Times essay by Basharat Peer. A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway told the story of two migrant workers' journey during the Covid-19 pandemic. The film marks Neeraj Ghaywan's return to direction 10 years after his debut film, Masaan. Homebound finished second runner-up in the International People’s Choice Award race at TIFF 2025. It will release in India on 26 September.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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