- Date of Release: 26 September 2025
- Genre: Drama
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Homebound
Introduction
The new Hindi film Homebound has a deep subtext of politics that plays out in every scene of the film. For starters when you are introduced to Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) and Shoaib (Ishan Khatter), the setting remains that of an Indian Railway platform somewhere in the north of India, that is shown to be overcrowded with people, or more specifically students. The backdrop remains an extrance test of the job of a police constable – with a hand full of vacancies, and overwhelming number of entrants. It does tell you a thing or two about the crumbling infrastructure with respect to education and the job situation in a country, that has now the leading population in the world. And with AI round the corner, God bless this country – even as I digress! The subtext of politics doesn’t end there even as you get to know a little more about the identities of Shoaib and Chandan – a Muslim and a Dalit, who find themselves invariably in the minority of the country, often being subjected to discrimination. Their only motivation – as explained by Shoaib to Chandan – remains a police uniform, which they think would cure most of their problems with respect to their identities.
Story & Screenplay
Based on ‘A Friendship, A Pandemic And A Death Beside The Highway’ by Basharat Peer, and written by Shriidhar Dubey, Neeraj Ghaywan and Varun Grover, one of the highlights of Homebound remains the characterization, wherein the writers track the journey of marginalized character against the backdrop of a politically fractured system that acts as an obstable. When you are first introduced to Shoaib, you see him as a rational individual with a sound mind who isn’t flustered as compared to Chandan, who faintly flirts with the idea of backing out after viewing the hoards of people on the platform. It probably comes from the fact that Shoaib has been marginalized all his life – having being subjected to a bigotry from an early age. It also helps on how Shoaib is the only child, that invariably makes him the sole earner of his family after his father, a farmer cannot visit the fields due to an issue with his knee. Hence in a scene, when he is told to leave the country and visit Dubai for a quick buck – again a country that would transition him into a part of the majority – he refuses with an excuse that je can’t quite stay long away from his mother’s food.
Chandan on the other hand, has had his share of discrimination too – despite being from a religious majority – a concept irrelevant when you take into account the sub-levels of caste prevalent in the country. You see his hesitation in appearing for an exam, almost being overwhelmed by the crowd gathered there – and most of it is with respect to his quest in appearing in a general category. Despite Shoaib repeatedly asking him to fill a form in the Scheduled Caste category, Chandan wishes to step away from this identity – given how he was at the receiving end of the bigotry comments even as a child.
But you also see the unsaid luxury that Chandan is subjected to – wherein he opts to study further even while awaiting the results of the exams, and partly due to the presence of his love Sudha (Janhvi Kapoor), a lower-caste individual but at a better ‘level’ as compared to Chandan, who emphasizing on the importance of education. It is worth noting that Chandan’s sister Vaishali (Harshika Parmar) doesn’t have the same luxury as him, wanting to study but having to drop the idea because her parents could only afford the education for one child. It does tell you about the fractured nature of the education system that is deliberately costly, and deliberately designed to be so, such that politicians can benefit from it by keeping the people illerate and foolish!
There is a lurking sense of melancholy that is related with a financial issue for Shoaib – he doesn’t have the luxury to study further (as compared to Chandan), and his father’s knee replacement surgery makes matters worse. And hence, he opts to take up the job as a clerk in a sales office – that is equipped to sell RO purifiers. In a scene, you see Shoaib filling in during a deal that nearly goes bust, much to the delight of his superior Vikas (Shriidhar Dubey) who wishes to absorb him in the sales team purely due to his caliber.
And yet, the journey isn’t easy for Shoaib who is subjected to ‘religious’ bigotry by the hands of his superiors Arjun (Yogendra Vikram Singh) who casually suggests that he won’t drink the water served by Shoaib, or that he would need to (re)submit his documents as a part of their ‘background check’. The discrimination continues even during an India-Pakistan match where the boss (Vijay Vikram Singh) and Arjun team up to mock Shoaib by citing that ‘his team lost’ (India had won the match), even as Shoaib tries to blend in with food but unsuccessfully so. It is symbolic of the poisoned minds of the individuals in a set template of ‘Us vs Them’, that is depicted through the journey of Shoaib.
One of the prime themes of the drama remains that of friendship between Shoaib and Chandan, even as you witness them spending time by the riverside, or enjoying a playful banter during the joint celebration of festivals. In a scene, you see Chandan visiting Shoaib’s place for Biryani, in another, you see Shoaib’s close proximity to Chandan. They maybe one step away from Anand and Balya in Sabar Bonda (2025) in another universe, but then I digress. In a way, it is a commentary on the India that I have grown up in – that is filled with love and respect without any differentiation on caste or religion, only something that has been plagued in the recent few years. The friendship here is tested when one of the two characters does get the desired result of the exam, while the other is left to his own fate. And even as you witness the duo drifting away, there is a sense of melancholy even with respect to unemployment – this time in the form of a delay with respect to the joining that prompts Chandan to take up an alternate job in anothet city, followed by Shoaib too who joins his quest!
The timeline leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic plays an important metric in the narrative too. It is almost symbolic on how things start to get from bad to worse, even in the middle of the passage that isn’t all too bad for the two protagonists. There is a subtle commentary on the differentiation of the behavior of cops with respect to individuals of different religions, almost immersing themselves in the Us Vs Them narrative. And yet, the commentary of unemployment circles back to this time – giving you a clear indication on how this remains a central thread around which the story is built, particularly how so many people like Chandan and Shoaib are forced to work away from homes due to a lack of proper infrastructure and opportunities in their hometown.
It is painstaking to witness the journeys of Shoaib and Chandan that is filled with hopelessness and despair, even whilst trying to make it to their respective villages on foot (this, after been thrown out of the truck after one of them falls ill; where is the empathy even?). The real-life plot-point was similar to the conflict faced by characters in the Korean film Train To Busan (2016), wherein everyone was left to fend for themselves in the midst of a zombie attack (here, the attack was the pandemic followed by the sudden lockdown).
It is an emotional journey of the two leads that pierces your soul – even as you witness the inevitable in a heartbreaking fashion, an incomplete love story, a mother wailing away in the distance, and her cries haunting you in a way that is irrepairable, a family looking on helplessly, and a future that remained uncertain for all the characters. It was soul-shattering, almost like a burden on my chest that stayed with me long after the film had ended – even as I kept on thinking about the characters, in a drama that was painfully poetic with the way it ended. The swap in the identities may have been a glimmer of hope, but the darkness of the night was a long ending meandering road!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are understated but well aware of the political subtext that it wishes to exhibit through the lines. If anything, the dialect in a few instances is compromised, but that is a minor flaw in probably the most perfect film of the year. The music is soulful while stirring the right kind of emotions within you. The BGM is gentle enough to accompany the narrative without ever taking center-stage. The melancholic notes are sparingly used too, almost allowing the silence in the drama to haunt the journeys of the characters. It is immersive in many ways, and engulfs you with a spirit of silence that is difficult to shrug off, even from an emotional core.
There is stillness in the frames that are laced with pastel shades – one for every moment. For instance, the cold open exhibits shades of grey to depict uncertainty, the scenes involving the open vicinity wherein Chandan and Shoaib interact has a brighter undertone to it, and the portions of the pandemic are accompanied with shades of yellow that with sombre undertones to represent a painstaking emotion. The wide-angle shots are alternated with close-ups – almost like allowing you a chance to zoom out and zoom in, into the lives of the two protagonists. And interestingly, the more the camera pans in, the more heartbreaking the results are, with a touch of hopelessness for the characters. The editing allows the drama to linger on, that much more – without incorporating multiple cuts to corrupt an ongoing scene. The transitions are both sudden and seamless in the same breath, that account for the emotional journey of the protagonists while retaining the political commentary through and through.
Director Neeraj Ghaywan handles this sensitive subject matter with honesty and earnestness. He isn’t interested in explicitly providing a political commentary, almost dabbling with it in the second layer and using it as a subtext. He reserves the top layer for the bond that his two protagonists share, using friendship as one of his core themes. His aesthetics are appealing too, using sombre pastel colours to depict the varied emotions in the drama. But at the same time, he doesn’t compromise on the emotional core of the drama too – often utilizing it as the driving force for the characters (ofcourse in the wake of a subtly powerful social and political commentary). In the process, Ghaywan remains one of the few filmmakers whose voices need to be preserved and cotton-wooled – even as the direction is brilliant to the core here!
Performances
The performances are incredibly good by the members of the cast. Chandan Anand as the cop makes his presence felt despite a limited screen time. Yogendra Vikram Singh as Arjun probably delivers the most nuanced performance of his budding career, so much so that you are infuriated by his actions. His extremist opinion stemming out of a state of a poisoned mind is both alarming and disturbing to witness, and he manages to do an excellent job here. Vijay Vikram Singh as the boss also delivers a dignified performance, in a character that is known to be politically correct because of his designation, but is a closet extremist himself. Shalini Vatsa is outstanding here as the mother of Chandan. Her wails at the end hold so many strong emotions that are haunting in many ways, even as my heart sank in sorrow while witnessing her act. It was similar to Prahlad from Panchayat (2021) in a scene when tragedy had struck his life. My mind kept wandering on whether her character would be better placed now, long after the film had ended!
Shriidhar Dubey as Vikas is beautifully understated and empathetic towards the character of Shoaib. You see him being courteous to him, and even encouraging in many ways, bit hopeless under the leash of power that is exhibited by his superiors. And he was a delight to witness here. Harshika Parmar as Vaishali is sincere and earnest in a character who is a victim of circumstances herself. She wishes to study but she doesn’t have the luxury given the gender discrimination in her family stemming out of poverty.
Janhvi Kapoor as Sudha Bharti is a revelation here. I have always maintained that Janhvi always scores with her expressions but is found wanting with her dialogue delivery that incorporates a nasal twang, that often dilutes the impact of the scene. Here though, that nasal twang is pleasantly minimized, even as you witness her performance being subtle and nuanced, something that makes a resounding impact despite a limited screen time. This will go down as the best performance of her career, and hope she continues her form in her upcoming projects.
Vishal Jethwa as Chandan absolutely has my heart. Like any youngster, he is curious and wants to make an impact, but his previous tryst with racist slurs has him fearing the worst. There is a resounding quality in Vishal, wherein he uses his expressive eyes to perfection in conveying the angst of his character. His body language varies with respect to the varied moods of the drama, and yet, he accounts for a strong emotional core that makes your heart drop with his fate. He is brilliant as ever here in a character that will leave you hollow from within!
Ishan Khatter has always been a remarkable actor, who is known to flirt with unconventional choices. Here as Shoaib, you see the pain reflecting in his eyes, even as his body language exudes of a sense of resentment and hopelessness. He is well aware that only a respectable job can shun his identity of a minority in the country, a sentiment that often forms a thread in his journey. He is matured but also subtly impactful with the emotional core that he exhibits. So when he cries, you cry too, when he feels hollow during a religious slur, you empathize with him. He is successful in taking you on this journey that is bittersweet, and yet my mind wandered on the current state of the character after the film. It is a sign of a very special actor, and makes for a wonderful performance.
Conclusion
India’s Official Submission to the Oscars of 2026, Homebound is a heartfelt tale of friendship packaged in a deeply political drama with searing social undertones for the ages that makes for a brilliant watch. It is just the perfect film that I couldn’t fault at any step, in a drama that had me bearing a powerful emotional burden on my chest long after the film had ended. It is the Best Indian Film of the Year by far across languages, and perhaps the Best Film that I have seen all year, Internationally speaking too (and I hope I am not hyping this up for you). Available in a theatre near you from 26th September’25 and Highly Highly Highly Recommended!