director: Neeraj Gaywan
Language: Hindi
Mold: Ishaan Khat, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
Rating: 4.5 / 5
As India’s official entry at the Oscar, homebound raised expectations. Still it is not just a film, it is an experience that lasts long after the credit role. From the scene long ago, Neeraj Gaywan immerses us in a tender story yet a frightening story of two young men of the lower middle class. One struggles with the identity of its caste, while the other ends discrimination on the basis of faith. Despite their differences, both share the same dream: not only for existence to wear police uniforms, but for dignity.
From the initial credit, Gaywan throws us into the life of sandalwood and Shoaib, making us feel the weight of their dreams and the rigor of their realities.
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Ishaan Khat -Wistal Jethwa starrer flourished as much silence on the dialogue. Although some can get pacing at a slow pace, it is exactly this deliberate rhythm that creates emotional depth. The story comes out through small but piercing moments: Jethwa’s mother said that she has nothing to leave her son, which is worn by her, in addition to hardworking legs; And the shoes that later become a symbol of heritage, dignity and flexibility.
Janhvi Kapoor, as Sudha Bharti, probably offers her most restrained performance so far. Glamor was stripped, he is easily a symbol of simplicity. His cool chemistry with Jethwa adds heat to the otherwise a hard-touching story. Nevertheless, the heart of homebound lies in the honest, raw and deep moving performances of Ishaan Khatar. Their struggles are different, yet their bond is undisputed. With humiliation, they tolerate faint glimpses of hope in their eyes, from their fierce quarrels to shatter climax where Shoaib Chandan’s lifeless body, their chemistry is unforgettable.
Also Read: Neeraj Ghaywan casting Janhvi Kapoor as a Dalit girl in homebound: ‘I wanted to portray internal hunger …’
Varun Grover’s fast, piercing dialogue demands special mention. With developed cinematography, they occupy the duality of India: a place where poverty co -existence smells with endless hope, where disappointment continues to dream of yesterday’s dreams. When Jethwa’s character states, “Every time I lift the bricks, life ensures that it all falls apart,” it is cut directly with cruel honesty.
The second half intensifies, set against the backdown of the 2020 lockdown. The way life begins to stabilize, sandalwood and Shoaib are emphasized in another cruel fight – struggle to return home. The film was desertly adapted to the migrant workers running hundreds of miles during the lockdown from the 2020 New York Times essay of Basharat Peer, it becomes a mirror of how the margins are left without a safety trap.
Surrounding the trauma of recent years, lines such as “Korona to Bad Mai Bhuki Mai Pehle Marrange” were with devastating forces. The intestinal intestine sequence of sandalwood is crying hard for water, standing out as one of the most darkest moments of the film.
The extreme is destructive, emotional and unforgettable. The final farewell between Ishaan and Vishal shattered the audience. The sad end of sandalwood is not just a story conclusion – it is a wound that refuses to heal.
Homebound is not involved in melodrama or noise. Its strength is in realism. It does not feel like a “message film”, but is presented with a living reality, nuances. When the lights return, you don’t just leave the theater. You sit in silence. Around you, people are slowly crying, lost in thought, battling with difficult truths that the film has kept naked.