Homebound (2025): A Story of Friendship during Caste, Religion and Lockdown Struggles

This blog is part of the Homebound movie review task given by Dilip Barad sir.

PART I: PRE-SCREENING CONTEXT & ADAPTATION

1. Background of the Film

Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is based on Basharat Peer’s 2020 essay “A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway.”

The essay tells the real story of two migrant workers, Amrit Kumar and Mohammad Saiyub, who were stranded during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In the film, these real people become fictional characters Chandan and Shoaib. Their profession is also changed. Instead of migrant workers, they are shown as young men preparing to become police constables.

This change is important. The essay mainly talks about poverty and the failure of the government during the pandemic. But the film focuses more on dreams, dignity, and the desire to gain respect in society.

Both characters believe that wearing a police uniform will give them status, respect, and stability. But the story slowly shows that even those who want to serve the state can be ignored and abandoned by it.

2. Production Context

The film also gained attention because famous filmmaker Martin Scorsese worked as an Executive Producer.

Reports say he guided Neeraj Ghaywan and watched several cuts of the film. His influence can be seen in the film’s realistic storytelling style. The movie avoids dramatic scenes and instead shows life in a very natural way.

Because of this style, the film was praised at international festivals like:

• Cannes Film Festival

• Toronto International Film Festival

However, Indian audiences often prefer more entertaining and dramatic films, so the movie did not perform well at the Indian box office.

PART II: NARRATIVE STRUCTURE & THEMES

3. The Meaning of the Police Uniform

In the first half of the film, Chandan and Shoaib prepare for the police entrance exam.

The police uniform becomes a symbol of power, dignity, and social mobility. For people from poor or marginalized backgrounds, it represents a chance to be respected.

But the film later shows that this dream is extremely difficult to achieve.

About 2.5 million people apply for only 3,500 jobs. This shows that the idea of “hard work always leads to success” is not true for everyone, especially for people who already face social disadvantages.

The uniform becomes a symbol of hope that may never be fulfilled.

4. Intersectionality: Caste and Religion

The film shows discrimination not through big violent events but through small everyday actions.

Caste

Chandan belongs to a Dalit background, but he applies in the General category instead of the Reserved category.

This shows how caste stigma works. Reservation is meant to help marginalized groups, but many people see it as a sign of inferiority. Because of this social pressure, Chandan hides his identity.

Religion

In another scene, a co-worker refuses to drink from Shoaib’s water bottle.

The moment is small and quiet, but it clearly shows religious discrimination. The film suggests that prejudice often appears in simple daily interactions rather than open violence.

5. The Pandemic as a Turning Point

The story changes when the COVID-19 lockdown begins.

Some viewers felt this shift was sudden. However, the film suggests something different: the pandemic did not create the crisis—it only exposed it.

The lockdown turns the story from a film about dreams and ambition into a story about basic survival.

With no transport, little food, and almost no help from the government, the characters realize how vulnerable they really are.

The pandemic acts like a magnifying glass, showing the inequalities that already existed in society.

PART III: CHARACTERS & PERFORMANCES

6. Vishal Jethwa as Chandan

Vishal Jethwa gives a very physical performance.

His body language changes when he meets authority figures. His shoulders drop, he avoids eye contact, and he speaks hesitantly.

In one scene, when someone asks his full name, he becomes visibly uncomfortable. This moment shows the fear and shame connected to caste identity.

His body language becomes a symbol of internalized oppression.

7. Ishaan Khatter as Shoaib

Ishaan Khatter plays Shoaib as a calm but emotionally tired character.

At one point, Shoaib rejects a job opportunity in Dubai because he wants a government job in India. He wants to feel that he belongs to his own country.

But throughout the film, he is constantly forced to prove his loyalty and identity. This reflects how minorities are sometimes treated as outsiders in their own homeland.

8. Janhvi Kapoor as Sudha Bharti

Janhvi Kapoor plays Sudha Bharti.

Some critics think her role is small, but she represents education and social mobility.

Her character shows how education can provide some opportunities. At the same time, the film shows that education alone cannot completely remove caste and religious discrimination.

PART IV: CINEMATIC TECHNIQUES

9. Visual Style

Cinematographer Pratik Shah uses a muted color palette with grey, brown, and dusty tones.

During migration scenes, the camera focuses on:

• tired feet

• sweating faces

• long empty roads

These visuals create an atmosphere of exhaustion and avoid romanticizing suffering.

Many scenes keep the characters trapped within the frame, showing their lack of freedom and control.

10. Sound and Music

The background score by Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor is very minimal.

Instead of emotional music, the film often uses silence and natural sounds, such as breathing, footsteps, or wind.

This makes the scenes feel more real and uncomfortable, forcing the audience to directly face the characters’ struggles.

PART V: CONTROVERSIES AND DEBATES

11. Censorship Issues

The Central Board of Film Certification asked the filmmakers to remove or mute several dialogues.

Some references to caste and religious issues were cut.

Ishaan Khatter criticized this decision and said that commercial films are often allowed more freedom, while serious social films face stricter censorship.

12. Ethical Questions

The film also faced criticism related to the ethics of true-story adaptations.

Some people asked important questions:

• Should filmmakers involve the real people whose stories they are telling?

• Is it fair to earn money from stories of suffering without supporting the affected families?

These questions show the ongoing debate between representation and exploitation.

13. Art vs Commercial Success

Even though the film received international praise and was discussed for awards, it did not perform well at the Indian box office.

Producer Karan Johar later commented that films like this are financially risky.

This situation highlights the difficulty of making serious social films in a commercial film industry.

FINAL CONCLUSION

Homebound shows that dignity should be a basic human right, but society often treats it like something that must be earned.

The idea of “home” in the film has two meanings:

1. The dream of belonging through a government job.

2. The painful journey back to one’s village during the lockdown.

By the end, the film suggests that the characters’ struggles are not due to personal failure but because of deep social and institutional inequalities.

Instead of offering a happy ending, the film leaves viewers with a powerful message:

in a society full of inequality, people often share not equality, but abandonment.