Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is India’s International Feature Oscar submission and has made the short list. It’s a very competitive year, but this profound work deserves consideration.
Ghaywan was mentored by Martin Scorsese during the script development stage as well as the editing process where he gave the director the key advice, “stay with the boys.”
This is Ghaywan’s second feature. His first, Masaan, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, in 2015 and won the Un Certain Regard Special Prize.
The film is an engrossing, deeply affecting story of two dreamers trying to escape their birth circumstances, amidst bigotry and hatred.
Set in Northern India and loosely based on a New York Times op-ed piece by Basharat Peer (screenplay by Ghaywan with story credit to Peer, Ghaywan and Sumit Roy), the film’s main focus is on the intensely strong friendship between Chandan Kumar (Vishal Jethwa) and Mohammed ‘Shoaib’ Ali (Ishaan Khatter).
Both are lower class, lower caste. Chandran is from a former “untouchable” caste, still very much looked down on and Shoaib is Muslim. They have familial obligations and few options of improving their status. Both are set to take the national police exam, so they might be assured more fair treatment and dignity. But the odds are stacked against them and the results threaten to derail their close friendship.
Ghaywan establishes this unwavering bond between the boys so we are totally invested in their respective journeys. He also doesn’t shy away from showing the cruel prejudices and discrimination inherent in the Indian culture when it comes to religion and caste.
Both Jethwa and Khatter do amazing work.
The final quarter is devastating, but the final shot provides a glimmer of hope. And transcendence.
This profound film is both a plea for empathy and a wondering if it is even a part of human nature to behave with compassion.
Homebound is, astonishingly, still seeking distribution in the U.S.
The Contending had the pleasure of a video chat with the filmmaker.
