Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound will represent India in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The Film Federation of India, which selects India’s Oscar entry year, made the announcement today in Kolkata.

N Chandra chaired the Oscar selection jury, which also had 13 other members. The decision was unanimous, a press statement said.

The Hindi-language Homebound follows Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), two impoverished young men desperately trying to rise above circumstances dictated by their respective social identities. Ghaywan’s second movie after Masaan was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The Dharma Productions film also boasts of Martin Scorsese as an executive producer.

The cast includes Janhvi Kapoor, Shalini Vatsa and Shreedhar Dubey. Ghaywan based Homebound on a New York Times article by Basharat Peer from 2020.

In an interview with Scroll after the premiere at Cannes, Ghaywan said about the film: “People are all victims of circumstances. It’s not about ideology or community. It’s actually people failing people. What if we practise a bit of humanity and empathy and listen to the other side?”

The 98th edition of the Oscars, officially known as the Academy Awards, will be held in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026. Five titles will compete for the Best International Film.

In his statement following the selection, Ghaywan said: “I’m deeply honoured that Homebound has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars. Rooted in the love for our land and our people, it carries the essence of the home we all share. To take our stories to the world and represent India at one of the biggest global stages for cinema is both humbling and a matter of pride, and for this I’m deeply grateful.”

Karan Johar, head of Dharma Productions, said he was “deeply honoured and humbled”. Johar added, “Neeraj Ghaywan’s labour of love is sure to a find a home in a million hearts across the world.”

In all, the FFI jury shortlisted 24 movies across languages. The other 23 titles are as follows: I Want to Talk, Tanvi The Great, The Bengal Files, Pushpa 2, Kesari Chapter 2, Superboys of Malegaon, Sthal, Kannappa, Meta The Dazzling Girl, Sabar Bonda, Dashavatar, Vanvaas, Paani, Gandhi Tatha Chettu, Aata Thambaycha Naay, Kubera, Boong, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, Humans in the Loop, Jugnuma, Phule, Veera Chandrahasa and Pyre.

Apart from Chandra, the other members of the jury were Ranbir Pushp, Angelica Monica Bhowmick, Abhisek Jain, Surinder Singh, Ratnottama Sengupta, Apurva Motiwale, Akshay Kumar Parija, Suresh Urs, Thmmareddy Bharadwaj, Aimee Baruah, RV Uthayakumar, Rajiv Anchal and Rajiv Vijayakar.

“I thank the esteemed jury for their dedicated efforts in this selection process and congratulate the entire team of the selected film,” FFI president Firdausul Hasan said in a press statement.

In 2024, India picked Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies. Other selections in recent years include 2018, The Last Picture Show, Koozhangal, Jallikattu, Gully Boy and Village Rockstars.

In the past, three Indian titles made it to the shortlist: Mehboob Khan’s Mother India, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan.

The Indian winners at the Oscars include Bhanu Athaiya for Gandhi in 1983, music composer AR Rahman, sound designer Resul Pookutty and lyricist Gulzar for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009, composer MM Keeravani for the song Naatu Naatu from RRR in 2023, and Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga for the documentary Elephant Whisperers in 2023.

Also read:

‘Homebound’ director Neeraj Ghaywan: ‘What if we practise empathy and listen to the other side?’

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