India’s entry for Oscars 2026: Neeraj Ghaywan’s Hindi drama Homebound is now India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2026 Oscars. The news came out in Kolkata on Friday when Film Federation of India president Firdausul Hasan made the announcement. With this, the movie has now moved from being a festival favorite to a strong global contender.
Big cast
The film has a strong lineup of actors with Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor playing key roles. It is made by Dharma Productions and has producers Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra backing it.
The movie even has Martin Scorsese as its executive producer which gives it a big international touch. Homebound is ready to come to Indian theatres on September 26, 2025, and before that, fans will see its trailer release on September 22.
Release date
The film has already traveled the world before its theatre release. It had its first big screening at the Cannes Film Festival where it was shown in the Un Certain Regard section. After the show, the movie got a 9 minut long standing ovation, which showed how deeply it touched the audience.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, it was again warmly welcomed and even ended as the second runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award. There also it received another standing ovation. The team later celebrated these moments online, thanking everyone for the love.
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Plotline of the Movie
The movie is based on a 2020 New York Times article called Taking Amrit Home. The story follows two friends from childhood, Chandan Kumar Valmiki played by Vishal Jethwa and Mohammed Shoaib Ali played by Ishaan Khatter.
Both boys dream of joining the police but they live in rural India where caste and religion create strong walls against their dreams. Their friendship and fight for ambition meet with Sudha Bharti, played by Janhvi Kapoor, who is also facing her own set of struggles against the social system around her.
The movie also adds the story of the migrant crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes the tale feel very close to recent real-life pain. The trailer gives a strong look into this world, showing the fight, the heartbreak, but also the deep bond of people who don’t give up.
