It is scheduled to release theatrically on 26 September 2025.[13][14]
Plot
Two childhood friends from a small village in North India dream of becoming police officers, hoping the job will bring them the respect they never had. However, as they come closer to their goal, pressure and struggles create problems in their friendship.
The film's original story was inspired by the New York Times 2020 essay Taking Amrit Home (now retitled A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway) by Kashmiri journalist Basharat Peer. It recounts the story of two young migrant workers in Surat, who were caught in the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.[19][20][21]
During the pandemic, the story caught the eye of director Neeraj Ghaywan, after it was recommended by producer Somen Mishra at Dharma Productions. This is Ghaywan's second feature after debuting with Masaan (2015), which received widespread acclaim. Subsequently, Dharma Productions bought the rights from The New York Times and script development started, wherein the backstories of both protagonists were fictionalised, while keeping the essence of the original. [22] French producer Mélita Toscan du Plantier brought in Martin Scorsese on board as executive producer.[22][23] Scorsese also helped Ghaywan in crafting the screenplay and later during the editing process, watching three different cuts of the film.[24] The film was shot in 2024 mainly in and around Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh state.[25]
The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on 26 September 2025.[31]
Reception
Neeraj Ghaywan at 2025 Cannes Homebound premiere
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10.[32]Namrata Joshi of Cinema Express gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "There is an authenticity to Homebound that goes beyond the writing and the language. It’s in the realness of the spaces.[33]
Shrishti Negi of News18 India cited Variety's praise of Khatter and Jethwa’s performances as immensely endearing and unpredictable.[34]
Santanu Das of Hindustan Times said "Neeraj Ghaywan film hailed as 'deeply empathetic' with particular praise for Ishaan Khatter".[35]
Aseem Chhabra, writing for BBC Culture, highlighted the film’s exploration of caste and religious identities and noted that its depiction of marginalized communities resonated strongly with festival audiences.[37]
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