Homebound (2025 film)

 ACADEMIC FILM STUDY WORKSHEET: HOMEBOUND (2025)

As part of a combined academic activity for Semester 2 and Semester 4, organized under the guidance of Prof. Dilip Barad (Department of English, MKBU), students engaged with Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound (2025) as a serious text for film studies, cultural analysis, and social critique. Rather than approaching the film as mere entertainment, this screening encouraged students to read cinema as a critical language one that documents lived realities, exposes structural inequalities, and interrogates the ethics of representation.

INTRODUCTION

This blog is an outcome of that collective academic engagement. Using the structured worksheet provided, the analysis explores the film across multiple dimensions adaptation, narrative structure, performance, cinematic language, censorship, ethics, and commercial reception. The aim is not to summarize the film, but to critically examine how Homebound transforms a pandemic story into a powerful meditation on belonging, dignity, and systemic apathy.( Click here )

PART I: PRE-SCREENING CONTEXT & ADAPTATION

1. SOURCE MATERIAL ANALYSIS

(Adaptation of Basharat Peer’s 2020 New York Times Essay)

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is adapted from Basharat Peer’s 2020 New York Times essay A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway, a work of narrative journalism documenting the real-life experience of Amrit Kumar and Mohammad Saiyub, migrant textile workers stranded during the COVID-19 lockdown. The essay operates in the mode of witnessing, foregrounding factual immediacy, ethical restraint, and humanitarian urgency.

Comparison: Real-Life Subjects vs Fictional Protagonists

Real Life (Essay)	Film (Adaptation)
Amrit Kumar	Chandan
Mohammad Saiyub	Shoaib
Textile workers in Surat	Aspiring police constables
Focus on economic survival	Focus on dignity and institutional aspiration
Journalistic documentation	Cinematic social realism

While Amrit and Saiyub are presented as victims of sudden structural collapse, Chandan and Shoaib are constructed as aspirational subjects, actively preparing for social mobility through state employment. This fictionalisation shifts the narrative from passive suffering to active hope, making their eventual collapse more ideologically devastating.

Narrative Shift: From Textile Workers to Police Aspirants

The most significant change in the adaptation is the transformation of the protagonists’ pre-lockdown employment. In the original reportage, the protagonists’ identities are shaped by informal labour and economic vulnerability. Their tragedy emerges from the sudden withdrawal of state support.

In contrast, Homebound reimagines the protagonists as aspiring police constables, positioning them not outside the system but at its threshold. This shift radically alters the film’s commentary on ambition and institutional dignity:

• Ambition is no longer about earning a livelihood but about gaining recognition, respect, and legitimacy within the state.

• The police uniform becomes a symbolic object representing authority, masculinity, and social visibility, especially significant for a Dalit man (Chandan) and a Muslim man (Shoaib).

• The film critiques the belief that proximity to state power guarantees dignity, exposing it as a fragile and often illusory promise.

Where the original essay highlights humanitarian neglect, the film interrogates the moral failure of meritocracy. By showing that even aspirants to the state apparatus are expendable, Homebound deepens the political critique from economic injustice to systemic denial of dignity .

2. PRODUCTION CONTEXT

Martin Scorsese as Executive Producer

Martin Scorsese’s involvement as Executive Producer is widely acknowledged as formative rather than ceremonial. According to production notes and critical discourse cited in the worksheet, Scorsese actively mentored Neeraj Ghaywan during script development and editing, reportedly reviewing multiple cuts of the film.

Influence on Realist Tone and Editing

Scorsese’s mentorship is evident in the film’s commitment to ethical realism, characterized by:

• Narrative restraint: The film avoids melodrama, background exposition, or heroic framing.

• Observational pacing: Long takes, pauses, and silences allow social reality to unfold rather than be dramatized.

• Structural focus: Suffering is shown as systemic and repetitive, not as a single tragic event.

This realist aesthetic aligns Homebound with global traditions of social realism rather than mainstream Hindi cinema.

Reception: Western Audiences vs Domestic Indian Audiences

The film’s restrained realism contributed to its strong reception at international festivals such as Cannes and TIFF, where audiences and critics are attuned to slow cinema, minimalism, and politically grounded narratives. The absence of sentimental closure or spectacle enhanced its credibility and ethical seriousness in these contexts.

However, the same qualities limited its appeal in the domestic Indian market, where post-pandemic audiences largely favored escapist or star-driven cinema. The film’s refusal to provide emotional catharsis or narrative redemption positioned it outside mainstream consumption patterns.

Thus, Scorsese’s influence helped Homebound gain global critical prestige while simultaneously reinforcing its status as a commercially marginal film within India—a tension central to the film’s cultural and industrial significance.  

PART II: NARRATIVE STRUCTURE & THEMATIC STUDY

3. THE POLITICS OF THE “UNIFORM”

In the first half of Homebound, the narrative is structured around Chandan and Shoaib’s preparation for the police entrance examination. This preparatory phase is not merely a character backstory; it is central to the film’s ideological inquiry into social mobility, dignity, and the myth of meritocracy.

The Police Uniform as a Tool for Social Mobility

For Chandan (a Dalit) and Shoaib (a Muslim), the police uniform symbolizes far more than employment. It represents:

• Institutional legitimacy: Recognition by the state itself

• Social respectability: Protection from everyday humiliation tied to caste and religion

• Masculine authority: The power to be obeyed rather than questioned

• Erasure of stigma: A belief that the uniform can override name, background, and identity

The uniform becomes a fantasy of equality, suggesting that once inside the institution, personal history will no longer matter. This belief reflects a deep faith in the neutrality of state institutions.

Deconstructing the “Fragile Belief in Fairness”

The film systematically dismantles this faith through statistical and narrative realism. The figure 2.5 million applicants for only 3,500 police posts is not incidental data but a structural metaphor. It reveals that:

• Competition is so disproportionate that failure becomes inevitable rather than exceptional

• Meritocracy functions as an ideological illusion, sustaining hope while guaranteeing exclusion

• Marginalized aspirants internalize failure as personal inadequacy instead of recognizing systemic injustice

By situating the protagonists within this impossible competition, Homebound exposes how ambition itself becomes a form of discipline. The system invites dreams it cannot fulfill, thereby transforming dignity into a scarce reward rather than a basic right. 

4. INTERSECTIONALITY: CASTE AND RELIGION

Rather than depicting spectacular violence or explicit abuse, Homebound focuses on micro-aggressions subtle, normalized acts that sustain structural inequality. This approach aligns with contemporary sociological understandings of how power operates in everyday life.

Case A: Chandan and the ‘General’ Category

One of the film’s most revealing moments occurs when Chandan chooses to apply under the ‘General’ category instead of the ‘Reserved’ category available to him as a Dalit candidate.

This decision reveals several layered truths:

• Internalized shame: Caste identity is experienced not as a right but as a liability

• Fear of post-selection discrimination: Chandan anticipates stigma even if he succeeds

• Desire for invisibility: Applying as ‘General’ is an attempt to pass as caste-neutral

The scene exposes caste not merely as a social classification but as a psychological burden. Reservation, rather than being framed as corrective justice, is socially coded as inferiority. The film thus critiques a society where formal equality exists, but symbolic inequality persists.

Case B: Shoaib and the Refusal of Water

In a workplace scene, an employee quietly refuses to accept a water bottle from Shoaib. There is no verbal insult, no confrontation—only a polite withdrawal.

This interaction exemplifies “quiet cruelty”:

• The act is socially deniable and normalized

• Power operates through silence rather than aggression

• Religious othering is enacted without explicit hostility

The refusal reinforces Shoaib’s status as perpetually “other,” reminding him that belonging is conditional. By focusing on such understated moments, the film demonstrates how religious discrimination survives in modern, ostensibly secular spaces through everyday gestures rather than overt violence

worksheetHomebound

5. THE PANDEMIC AS NARRATIVE DEVICE

Critics have noted a sharp tonal shift in the second half of Homebound, where the narrative moves from aspirational drama to a grim account of survival during the COVID-19 lockdown. This shift raises an important critical question: Is the pandemic a convenient plot device or an inevitable narrative exposure?

Pandemic: Twist or Revelation?

While the lockdown may initially appear as a sudden narrative rupture, the film ultimately frames it as an inevitable exposure of pre-existing “slow violence.” The protagonists were already living precarious lives marked by:

• Economic instability

• Institutional neglect

• Conditional citizenship

The pandemic does not create vulnerability; it accelerates and exposes it.

Genre Transformation: Ambition Drama → Survival Thriller

The film’s genre shift is central to its political meaning:

• First half: A drama of ambition, preparation, and hope

• Second half: A survival narrative focused on bodies, endurance, and exhaustion

This transformation reveals the fragility of aspirational narratives in the absence of structural support. Once institutions collapse, dreams of dignity dissolve, and survival becomes the only objective.

The lockdown thus functions as a narrative lens that strips away ideological illusions, showing that the protagonists’ aspirations were always built on unstable ground. The film insists that crisis is not an interruption of normal life but its most honest expression

Academic Synthesis 

Part II demonstrates how Homebound uses narrative structure to dismantle the myths of meritocracy, neutrality, and institutional fairness. Through the symbolism of the uniform, the depiction of micro-aggressions, and the narrative shock of the pandemic, the film exposes dignity as a contested and unevenly distributed resource rather than an assured outcome of effort or ambition.

PART III: CHARACTER & PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

6. SOMATIC PERFORMANCE (BODY LANGUAGE): Vishal Jethwa as Chandan

Vishal Jethwa’s performance as Chandan is marked by what critics describe as a “somatic” or bodily realism, where trauma is communicated not through dialogue but through posture, gesture, and movement. His body becomes a site where caste history is inscribed.

Physical “Shrinking” and Internalized Trauma

During interactions with authority figures—examiners, officials, supervisors Chandan’s body visibly contracts:

• Shoulders slump

• Chin lowers

• Eye contact breaks

• Speech becomes hesitant

This physical shrinking is most striking in the scene where he is asked his full name. The pause before he answers is loaded with meaning. In a caste society, the full name is not neutral—it is a potential marker of origin, hierarchy, and exclusion. His hesitation reflects anticipatory fear, an embodied memory of humiliation.

Jethwa’s performance captures how caste oppression operates before words are spoken. The body reacts instinctively, revealing internalized trauma passed down through social experience. The film thus portrays Dalit identity not as overt victimhood, but as lived vulnerability embedded in everyday interactions.

7. THE “OTHERED” CITIZEN: Ishaan Khatter as Shoaib

Ishaan Khatter’s portrayal of Shoaib is defined by contained anger and emotional restraint, often described as “simmering angst.” Unlike overt rage, Shoaib’s emotions remain controlled, reflecting the lived reality of minority existence in contemporary India.

Arc: Dubai to India - The Politics of “Home”

Shoaib’s decision to reject a job opportunity in Dubai and instead pursue a government position in India is deeply symbolic:

• Dubai represents economic opportunity but emotional displacement

• India represents emotional belonging but social suspicion

His choice reflects a desire to be recognized at home, not merely to survive abroad. Seeking a government job is an attempt to anchor himself within the nation-state to claim citizenship, legitimacy, and belonging.

However, the narrative reveals the irony of this aspiration. Shoaib remains perpetually “othered,” subjected to subtle religious prejudice and suspicion. His arc exposes the painful contradiction faced by minority communities:

home is where one belongs emotionally, but not always socially or politically.

Khatter’s restrained performance embodies this contradiction, making Shoaib’s tragedy one of quiet endurance rather than dramatic protest.

8. GENDERED PERSPECTIVES: Sudha Bharti (Janhvi Kapoor)

Sudha Bharti’s character has generated debate among critics, some of whom label her a “narrative device” rather than a fully realized individual. This critique is partially valid but also reductive.

Narrative Function and Symbolic Role

Sudha represents:

• Educational privilege

• Relative social security

• Access to institutional respect without existential threat

Unlike Chandan and Shoaib, her dignity is not constantly under negotiation. This contrast is crucial. Her presence highlights how education and class privilege buffer individuals from systemic precarity, even within the same generational cohort.

Rather than a fully autonomous arc, Sudha functions as a structural counterpoint. She demonstrates that dignity is not equally accessible and that aspiration alone cannot overcome caste and religious barriers.

Thus, her character may be limited psychologically, but it is thematically necessary to expose unequal distributions of opportunity.

PART IV: CINEMATIC LANGUAGE

9. VISUAL AESTHETICS: The Aesthetic of Exhaustion

Cinematographer Pratik Shah employs a warm, grey, and dusty colour palette that visually communicates fatigue, stagnation, and decay. The visual language rejects spectacle and sentimentality.

Highway Migration Sequences

During the lockdown migration scenes, the camera repeatedly focuses on:

• Feet walking on hot asphalt

• Sweat-soaked clothing

• Dust-covered skin

These close-ups fragment the body, reducing individuals to exhausted physical components. This technique produces what critics term an “aesthetic of exhaustion”:

• The journey is stripped of heroism

• Movement becomes monotonous and punishing

• The body replaces dialogue as the primary narrative instrument

By avoiding wide, picturesque frames, the film refuses to romanticize suffering. The highway becomes a liminal space—neither home nor destination symbolizing the collapse of citizenship and belonging.

10. SOUNDSCAPE: Silence as Ethical Choice

The background score by Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor is deliberately restrained. Silence dominates many scenes, allowing ambient sounds footsteps, breathing, wind to carry emotional weight.

Difference from Bollywood Melodrama

Traditional Bollywood melodrama uses music to:

• Heighten emotion

• Signal tragedy

• Guide audience response

Homebound rejects this approach. The minimalist soundscape:

• Refuses emotional manipulation

• Preserves the dignity of suffering

• Forces the viewer into ethical witnessing rather than emotional consumption

Silence becomes a moral stance, acknowledging that some experiences cannot—and should not—be dramatized.

PART V: CRITICAL DISCOURSE & ETHICS (POST-SCREENING SEMINAR)

11. THE CENSORSHIP DEBATE

The CBFC’s demand for 11 cuts including muting the word “Gyan” and removing a reference to “aloo gobhi” may appear trivial, but they reveal deeper anxieties.

State Anxiety and Social Fissures

These cuts indicate discomfort with:

• Everyday depictions of caste and class

• Ordinary domestic references that ground social critique

• Films that expose normalized inequality rather than extraordinary violence

Ishaan Khatter’s comment on “double standards” is significant. Commercial films often escape scrutiny despite violence or misogyny, while socially critical films face censorship for realism. This reflects an institutional preference for escapism over introspection.

12. THE ETHICS OF “TRUE STORY” ADAPTATIONS

The plagiarism lawsuit filed by author Puja Changoiwala and the claim that Amrit Kumar’s family was unaware of the film’s release raise serious ethical concerns.

Ethical Responsibilities of Filmmakers

When adapting stories of the marginalized, filmmakers bear responsibilities beyond artistic freedom:

• Informed consent

• Fair compensation

• Acknowledgment of lived ownership

While Homebound raises awareness, awareness alone does not justify exclusion. Ethical storytelling requires standing by the lives one represents, not merely drawing inspiration from them.

13. COMMERCIAL VIABILITY VS. ART

Despite international acclaim, festival success, and Oscar shortlisting, Homebound failed at the domestic box office. Producer Karan Johar’s statement about avoiding “unprofitable” films highlights a structural tension.

What This Reveals About the Indian Market

• Serious cinema struggles with limited screens and poor distribution

• Post-pandemic audiences gravitate toward escapism

• Prestige circulates internationally, while commercial viability remains local

This divide exposes a cultural crisis: films that critically reflect society are celebrated abroad but marginalized at home.

PART VI: FINAL SYNTHESIS

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound argues that dignity is not a reward earned through effort, but a fundamental right systematically denied by structural apathy.

The “journey home” operates on multiple levels:

• Physical: The lockdown migration across highways

• Social: The attempt to move upward through state institutions

• Psychological: The search for acceptance and recognition

Chandan and Shoaib’s failure is not individual but systemic. Their shrinking bodies, exhausted feet, and silenced aspirations reveal a nation where citizenship is conditional and dignity is rationed.

The film ultimately suggests that in contemporary India, equality appears only in shared abandonment, making Homebound not just a pandemic film, but a profound critique of modern democracy.

Thank You.