In May 2020, a powerful newspaper image captured the world’s attention: a slender Saiyub cradling an unconscious Amrit on a sun-baked highway in Madhya Pradesh. This poignant scene offered a stark contrast to the fear surrounding the escalating virus. More than just a melancholic portrayal of enduring friendship, it depicted Saiyub bringing Amrit home at a time when certain media outlets were unfairly demonizing Muslims as “super spreaders.” This remarkable story of two friends was originally unearthed and followed by journalist Basharat Peer, who traced their journey back to their village in eastern Uttar Pradesh for The New York Times.
Five years later, in Homebound, writer-director Neeraj Ghaywan transforms this Op-ed essay into a deeply immersive and emotionally resonant cinematic experience. The film is both specific to the pandemic’s context and universal in its tone, delving into caste and religious discrimination without being didactic, and shedding light on the struggles of migrant workers during the poorly conceived lockdown.
Movie Details: Homebound (Hindi)
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor, Shalini Vats
Runtime: 119 minutes
Storyline: The lives of two friends, desperate to overcome their social disadvantages, take a devastating turn during a lockdown.
Building on the information from Peer’s report, Neeraj and his co-writers craft compelling backstories for the boys before they arrive on that scorching highway where their dreams are ultimately crushed. In his poignant depiction, Saiyub and Amrit are reimagined as Shoaib and Chandan, two impoverished youths driven by a desperate desire to pull their families out of poverty. Shoaib hopes to secure treatment for his ailing farmer father, while Chandan dreams of building a cement-roofed house for his construction worker mother, wishing he could alleviate her cracked heels. His mother could work as a midday meal cook at a government school, but societal prejudice prevents parents from allowing their children to eat the food she prepares. Despite stringent laws against untouchability, the film asks whether they can truly be enforced in contemporary India.
Neeraj, who first gained acclaim with Masaan (2015), once again masterfully captures the everyday experiences of subtle mistreatment, indignities, and slights faced by disadvantaged social groups. Shoaib is constantly reminded of his Muslim identity, and Chandan’s Dalit heritage is underscored in various settings—from streets and offices to playgrounds. Yet, despite persistent humiliation, both refuse to abandon their hope in the idea of India.
Like millions of young, unemployed Indians who are often underrepresented in mainstream Hindi cinema, they aspire to join the police force, believing it will protect them from identity-based discrimination. However, for this sea of hopefuls, merely appearing for the exam becomes a formidable battle, and the agonizing wait for results turns into a punishment. Chandan passes, but Shoaib does not, leaving both without a stable job.
Janhvi Kapoor, Vishwal Jethwa and Ishaan Khatter in ‘Homebound’.
| Photo Credit: Dharma Productions/YouTube
Ghaywan nurtures the narrative with a subtle emotional realism, compelling viewers to introspect about the dehumanizing gaze prevalent in certain segments of society. Pratik Shah’s skillful cinematography evokes a sense of confinement, and the precise editing ensures that the nuanced performances by the ensemble cast generate a quiet intensity, deepening the impact of a familiar struggle.
Ishaan and Vishal deliver a believable portrayal of vulnerability, desperation, and the will to survive. While Vishal has previously shown a tendency to overemote, here, as the quiet follower of Bhimrao Ambedkar, Chandan, he is remarkably effective. Ishaan is a natural, and their on-screen dynamic leaves a lasting impression.
While focusing on the boys, Ghaywan also highlights the strong women in their lives. Sudha Bharti (Janhvi Kapoor), a fellow traveler with Chandan, encourages him to pursue higher education and aim for more. When Chandan laments discrimination, his sister reminds him that she never even had the choice to study. His mother poignantly states that her only inheritance from her own mother is the fissures in her heels. It is this profound resilience that shines through Homebound and resonates deeply through Varun Grover and Shreedhar Dubey’s incisive words.
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The film’s aesthetic and matte finish occasionally give it the feel of an explainer on India’s societal fault lines for a global audience. Towards the end, it appears that the complexity of Peer’s original perspective has been somewhat smoothed over, possibly to navigate censorship. For example, Shoaib’s ongoing struggle with the arbitrary nature of the lockdown, even after health officials encountered them, is largely glossed over.
Despite these minor points, Homebound stands as a significant document of our times, when social trust is in noticeable decline, and it presents a worthy contender for the elusive Oscar.
Homebound hits the theatres on January 26, 2025