An epic of caste, cops, cricket, COVID and cracked heels, HOMEBOUND, is the long awaited new feature from acclaimed Indian director Neeraj Ghaywan, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, opens in Australian cinemas on September 26 after an acclaimed screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Starring Ishan Khatter, Vishal Jeyjwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, HOMEBOUND is the story of two childhood friends – one Muslim and one Dalit, (formerly known as the untouchables)- from a small North Indian village who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to cinching their dream, mounting desperation caused by filial obligations threatens the bond that holds them together.
HOMEBOUND is a mighty tale of mateship, loosely based on a New York Times opinion piece ‘Taking Amrit Home’ by the journalist Basharat Peer which tracked the journeys, sometimes of hundreds or even thousands of miles, taken by millions of Indians who travelled on foot to get home during the nation’s strict lock down during the pandemic.
HOMEBOUND is a keenly observed, profoundly honest story about friendship, kinship, dignity, and survival. It’s about casual racism and class apartheid that exists in India, the tendrils of traditional intolerance so deep rooted that it entangles the so called educated, and the determination of discriminated individuals to find their own chair so they can sit at the table of society.
Aspiration collides with harsh political realities where impoverished young men and women seek escape from their circumstances to ensure a better outcome for themselves and their families.
Gorgeously shot in India’s rural North, capturing simple joys and the daily struggles, HOMEBOUND hums with humanity and inhumanity, the harshness of rusted on prejudices, and enduring hope in the face of crushing adversity. The performances are first rate, and the narrative burns with an energy that seesaws between the humorous and the harrowing.
