Indian film 'Homebound' drew lengthy standing ovation at Cannes

Neeraj Ghaywan’s film about two friends striving to escape their marginalised roots in rural India, has packed an emotional punch at the Cannes Film Festival. Homebound marks Ghaywan’s return at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard category 10 years after Masaan in 2015.. e career milestone is elevated by the presence of executive producer Martin Scorsese,who helped push the project over the line.It drew a lengthy standing ovation at this year’s festival, where it premiered in the Un Certain Regard segment dedicated to emerging cinema.  

#JanhviKapoor gets emotional as her film #Homebound gets a 9 minutes standing ovation at #CannesFilmFestival2025 pic.twitter.com/xmwc52wrvW

— Janhvi Kapoor Universe (@JanhviKUniverse) May 21, 2025

Set in a north Indian village, Homebound follows two close friends who aspire to become police officers in search of dignity and stability. But as desperation intensifies in their pursuit, their bond begins to fray. The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa.The stage is set when childhood friends Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) and Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) elbow their way onto a packed train coach bound for the city, where they hope to sit an exam for aspiring civil servants. “Are we going to an exam or to war?” they ask after climbing on board, in the film’s breathless opening scene. Ghaywan says theirs is an everyday story in a country where more than 40% of young graduates are unemployed and young people crave the security of government employment. 
Shoaib and Chandan, however, are pushed back at every turn, because one is Muslim and the other is from the lowest rung in the rigid Hindu caste system. Caste and religion are highly sensitive subjects in India. Ghayan told FRANCE 24,“In our country, the scrutiny begins with your name, from which people determine which caste you belong to.” “I suffered from impostor syndrome because of my origins,” explains the filmmaker, pointing to his own low-caste background. “The feeling peaked in Cannes, where I felt undeserving of the praise and attention.”

I am still in disbelief! To have an icon like Martin Scorsese lend his name to our film, #Homebound, is an honour beyond words. I’m deeply grateful to our co-producer Melita Toscan, who introduced us to him.

Mr. Scorsese mentored us through the screenplay and multiple rounds of… pic.twitter.com/ixMEn1W3WY

— Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) April 26, 2025

As for winning a prize in the Un Certain Regard category, Ghaywan smiled and said, “I’m not expecting anything,” he said. For the filmmaker, being at Cannes 2025 with his film and the support of his producers is enough.“In India, we have our own way of expressing emotions, including the way we speak,” he says. “Our films can be perceived as excessively emotional or melodramatic, but it is very important for me to retain this component because it is our cinematic language.”