Ishaan Khatter says Neeraj Ghaywan told him to lose his muscles for Homebound: ‘Don’t want to see a single sinew'

Ishaan Khatter plays the lead in Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a 9-minute-long standing ovation.

Actor Ishaan Khatter is receiving high praise for his work in Homebound, which premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The actor opened up about the preparation for the role in an interview with journalist Sucharita Tyagi, where he recalled how director Neeraj Ghaywan told him to lose his muscles for the part. (Also read: Janhvi Kapoor says she ‘jumped on someone’ and ‘screamed’ upon knowing Homebound was headed to Cannes Film Festival)

Ishaan Khatter at the photocall for Homebound at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe (REUTERS)

What Neeraj told Ishaan

During the interaction, Ishaan revealed what Neeraj told him to do before the start of the shoot of the film. He said, "The first thing that he said to me out of all the beautiful things was, ‘You got to lose the muscles!’ I was like, yeah, I can do that, it is easier for me to look like that, and he was like, ‘No, no.. Ishaan please! I don’t want to see a single sinew on your body!' Get rid of it all! I was just coming off of The Royals, where it was a job requirement. That was a physical part of it.

On working with Neeraj Ghaywan

Ishaan then went on to add, “He is a very unique director. He has a singular vision and does not leave a stone unturned in approaching it with complete devotion. He is one of the rare directors that is involved in every step of your process as an actor, which I really appreciated.”

Homebound also stars Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor. The film received positive reviews after its premiere at the Un Certain Regard category at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

According to the official website of the Cannes Film Festival, the film's premise reads: “Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village 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.”