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CANADA Newsline                                                     OCTOBER 10, 2025       |  The Indian Eye 36


                       Homebound recounts a story of




         discrimination, divisiveness and despair






        BY RENU MEHTA
        Toronto

              he red carpet gala screening of Homebound
              won over audiences at the Toronto Interna-
        Ttional Film Festival (TIFF), where it pre-
        miered at Roy Thomson Hall.
            Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan
        and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, offers
        a powerful look at the collision between youthful
        ambition and stark social realities. Set in a north-
        ern Indian village, the film follows two close friends
        whose pursuit of careers in law enforcement be-
        comes a fight for dignity and a stable future.
            The lead roles are portrayed by Ishaan Khat-
        ter and Vishal Jethwa, with Jahnvi Kapoor also
        starring. The trio, along with Ghaywan, received a
        warm ovation as they entered the auditorium.
            Chandan (Jethwa), a Dalit, and Shoaib (Khat-
        ter), a Muslim, are determined to beat the odds:
        out of 2.5 million applicants, only 3,500 police
        jobs are available. Yet both young men cling to
        the hope that the uniform will bring them respect
        and security. As months pass without exam results,
        economic pressures intensify. Shoaib grapples
        with his father’s sudden disability, while Chandan
        dreams of building a proper home for his parents   ing the results of the police exam online and I pass
        so his mother can finally rest. But caste and reli-  but Shoaib does not make it. In that moment, you
        gious prejudice loom large, threatening not only   have to express that feeling that you are very hap-
        their aspirations but also the friendship that sus-  py, yet you are sad at the same time. So that was a
        tains them.                                  difficult one. I really liked the way Ishan’s charac-
            Jethwa and Khatter deliver performances rich   ter supported me in this scene otherwise I would
        in warmth and emotional depth, anchoring the   not have been able to do it.”
        film in humanity and heart.                      Khatter  also described a pivotal scene  that
            The cast continued to praise Ghaywan for his   tested the cast and crew.
        emotionally charged storytelling and decision to   “The last moment that I shared with my friend,
        shoot the film chronologically.  Khatter reflected   I think the whole film was kind of hinging on that
        on the experience, saying the actors were simply   moment. It felt very real and was very difficult,”
        vessels for the director’s vision.           said Khatter. “It was a complicated scene for many
            “I am extremely humbled to be part of this   reasons.  This  is  a  film  that  was  shooting  against
        project,” said Khatter. “It is a deeply personal film   time. We had many logistical challenges because
        in terms of what I recognize in the character and   the bridge had to be emptied. There were cars
        this really moved me. I think one of the things that   passing. One had to do that scene in a two-minute
        broke me was the spirit this character carried and   window before a car came. And it was kind of dif-
        the spirit of the boys and their friendship through   ficult. Those are the things you don’t see. We did
        the film. I thought it was important for me to carry   it once and felt it was almost there. Then the sun
        this spirit, push in the opposite direction and make   set and we had to go back the next day. That is not
        these guys as alive as possible. And that is what I   something a director does, but he did that. It was
        tried to work towards. I tried to show their hopes,   the most supportive set for actors that I have had
        their aspirations and bring all the elements as best   the privilege of being on,” he added.
        as I could – the relationship, the friendship, the   Ghaywan, visibly moved during the screening,
        love and the trials and tribulations. For me it was   shared the personal roots of the story.
        very important to find the spirit of this character.”  “The major part of the country lives in villages
            When asked about the most challenging scene,   and we don’t show these,” said Ghaywan. “Apart
        Jethwa pointed to a deceptively simple moment.  from that, I had a personal reason because I went
            “The  most  difficult  scene  was  the  simplest   back to a lot of my childhood. I grew up in a patri-
        scene. It’s often what looks like simple scene is   archal Dalit household and carried the shame of
        often the most difficult,” said Jethwa, who played   hiding for a very long time and this was my way to   Photos: Courtesy – TIFF
        Chandan. “There is one scene when we are check-  exorcise those dreams, put an end to it.”


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