Homebound (Drama)
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Producer: Adar Poonawalla,Apoorva Mehta,Somen Mishra,Karan Johar
Screenwriter: Shriidhar Dubey,Varun Grover,Neeraj Ghaywan
Cinematographer: Pratik Shah
Composer: Naren Chandavarkar
Editor: Nitin Baid
Production Designer: Khyatee Mohan Kanchan
Costume Designer: Rohit Chaturvedi
Key Cast: Vishal Jethwa,Janhvi Kapoor,Pankaj Dubey,Ishaan Khatter
Two Indian men, one Muslim and one Dalit, seek to rise above their stations in this drama about social division and friendship – award-winning director Neeraj Ghaywan’s first feature in 10 years.
Childhood best friends Shoaib and Chandan have applied for jobs in the police force, convinced that donning the uniform will shield them from the oppression each has faced as a Muslim and a Dalit, respectively. It’s a gruelling year before the pair receive an answer, and, amid the familial difficulties the young men must shoulder, the pressure of the wait drives a wedge between them. When the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, their desperation only becomes more intense.
Receiving a nine-minute standing ovation at Cannes and based on real events, Ghaywan’s second feature (after 2015’s Masaan) was executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, becoming the first ever contemporary Indian title to receive his support. Having been born into the so-called ‘untouchable’ Dalit caste himself, Ghaywan has firsthand experience of discrimination, and that perspective underpins his film’s politically charged narrative. But this is leavened by the touching, naturalistic performances of leads Ishaan Khatter (The Perfect Couple) and Vishal Jethwa – who are beautifully shot in rural northern India – as well as by an evocative orchestral score infused with traditional Indian rhythms. Depicting both the lure and the limitations of our places of birth, Homebound is a parable about class, creed and the bonds that weather the harshest of trials.
“A moving character piece, as well as a searing indictment of modern India … It’s a film of great tragedy, but one so rooted in beating humanity that you can’t help but be left furious, in addition to teary-eyed.” – Variety
PRESENTED WITH
