Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, placing India’s official Oscar entry among 15 films selected from 86 eligible countries. Only three Indian films have ever been nominated in this category — Mother India (1958), which lost by a single vote, Salaam Bombay! (1989), and Lagaan (2001) — making the shortlist a critical step toward a potential fourth nomination.
The film, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes earlier this year, tells the story of two childhood friends — a Muslim and a Dalit — whose shared aspiration to join the police becomes a quest for dignity in a society shaped by caste and identity. Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, Homebound is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer’s New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home,” which documented a real-life incident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shortlist represents a significant step toward a final Oscar nomination, which will be announced on January 22, 2026. Final nominees in the category must be viewed by all Academy members who opt in to vote, making the shortlist a crucial filtering process in the awards race.
Martin Scorsese As Executive Producer
Homebound gained additional momentum with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese joining as executive producer—a detail Ghaywan shared with affection in an earlier interview with Hannah Abraham, revealing that the cast and crew referred to Scorsese as “Bade Pappa” (Big Dad) during production. The film is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Adar Poonawalla.
Ghaywan, whose debut feature Masaan won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes 2015, has built a reputation for socially engaged cinema that examines caste, class, and religious identity in contemporary India. Homebound continues this trajectory, exploring the pandemic’s devastating impact on migrant workers while centering the friendship between characters navigating structural inequalities.
Competition From Palestine, South Korea, And Brazil
The shortlist includes strong contenders from across the globe. Palestine’s entry Palestine 36—which was ironically blocked from screening at India’s International Film Festival of Kerala alongside other Palestinian films—appears here, as does South Korea’s No Other Choice, starring Lee Byung-hun, which also received nominations at the Golden Globes.
Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Norway’s Sentimental Value, and films from Argentina, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Tunisia round out the list. Five of the 15 entries are distributed by Neon, which has historically performed well in this category.
Director and cast members expressed excitement about the recognition. Karan Johar wrote on social media: “thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true… from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey!” Ishaan Khatter posted: “Oscar ab dur nahi” (Oscar isn’t far now).
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.