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Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was officially selected as India’s entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category on Friday. The director and his producer, Karan Johar, took to social media to share their joy, calling it a moment they would never forget.
Karan Johar expresses happiness
Minutes after the film’s selection for the Academy Awards was made public, Karan posted the film’s posters on Instagram along with an emotional note that read, “One of the ‘pinch me’ moments that I will NEVER forget!!!! Extremely honoured, humbled and ecstatic that our film #Homebound is selected as India’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards! Our deepest gratitude to the @filmfederationofindia to believe in the story, in us and what we can bring to the world stage for Indian cinema. Heartiest congratulations to the entire team.”
Neeraj Ghaywan, Janhvi react
Neeraj Ghaywan also shared the film’s poster on Instagram and captioned it, “OMG!!! This is real!!” Janhvi Kapoor also wrote on Instagram, “Every part of this film has been nothing short of a dream. The journey, the people, what this story means, and how personal it’s been for everyone in our team. At every step I have been thankful I could witness this journey, which in my mind was truly the reward in itself. Everything since has been a celebration of all these people that I love and respect so much, for their talent, their goodness and their courage. @neeraj.ghaywan @karanjohar @vishaljethwa06 @ishaankhatter ❤️ this movie and even its journey, has been about hope, in so many more ways than one would expect ❤️ in cinemas on the 26th of September :)”
Many industry celebrities reacted to the posts. Maheep Kapoor wrote, “Ohhh my Godddd !!! Congratulations.” Shanaya Kapoor commented, “😍😍omg!!” Neena Gupta wrote, “Big big congratulations.” Varun Dhawan also wrote, “Congratulations guys.”
The Film Federation of India, which oversees the official selection for the Oscars, confirmed on Friday that Homebound would be India’s entry for the 2026 Academy Awards. India has previously seen three films—Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001)—earn nominations in the same category, although none went on to win. With Homebound, the country will once again compete among more than a hundred international submissions for a coveted spot on the final shortlist, and potentially the award itself.
About Homebound
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa in the lead roles. It also marks Ghaywan’s return to feature filmmaking after a decade. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received a standing ovation, before travelling to the Toronto International Film Festival where it bagged the second runner-up award in the People’s Choice category.
Inspired by real events, Homebound follows the journey of two boys from rural India who aspire to secure government jobs to earn dignity and respect. Along the way, they confront the harsh realities of caste and communal prejudice. The recently released trailer struck a chord with audiences, and the film is scheduled to release in India on 26 September.
