Homebound, Neeraj Ghaywan's Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa starrer, named India's official entry for 2026 Oscars

Neeraj Ghaywan's comeback film, Homebound, has been selected as India's official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards.

Updated on: Sep 19, 2025, 18:59:06 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Even before it releases in theatres across India, Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound is earning acclaim. On Friday, it was officially selected as India's entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film Category. The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles.

Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in Homebound.

Homebound is India's entry for the Oscars

The Film Federation of India, an independent body tasked with the selection, announced Homeland being named as India's entry on Friday, news agency PTI reported. The film will now compete with official entries from over a hundred countries in a bid to first get nominated for and then win the award for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars next year. Three Indian films have been nominated in the category over the years - Mother India, Salaam Bombay, and Lagaan. But none managed to win. India's only wins at the Oscars have come in the open categories, including two for RRR in 2023.

All about Homebound

Homebound has been the toast of the Western festival circuits this year. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it earned a standing ovation. Recently, at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, it finished second runner-up in the International People’s Choice Award race.

Homebound marks Neeraj Ghaywan's return to direction after almost a decade. The film stars Ishaan and Vishal as two rural boys who dream of a government job to earn respect. Both face caste and communal discrimination. Janhvi Kapoor also stars as their friend. 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. Backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Homebound counts legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. 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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