Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan was honoured with the Best Director Of The Year award at the NDTV Indian Of The Year ceremony held in New Delhi.
After picking up the award, Neeraj Ghaywan reflected on how the stories they hear most often represent only a fraction of the country. Adding, If he may say this about the media, the stories that are usually told represent barely 15 per cent of the population. Those are the people whose voices are heard, whose lives are discussed. But the rest of India – no one really talks about them. People from villages, people from very different backgrounds – their stories remain unheard.”
Pondering on his journey from Masaan to Homebound, it’s Neeraj’s feelinh that the soul of India remains untransformed. “From Masaan to Homebound, he would say India is still the same and still feels the same pride in in the country and in its people.
He explains why he continues to return to stories that exist on the margins, saying, they are telling stories that are usually ignored – stories people don’t want to tell and they convince themselves that only certain stories matter, but that’s not true.
Looking back at Masaan, he describes it as as an intensely inward-looking film. “Masaan was an intensely internal, philosophical film – over personal relationships, existential crises, love, and also politics. These are things they often avoid discussing, but it is important to bring them into the open.”
Neeraj Ghaywan lauds Vicky Kaushal who made his debut in Masaan. He created his own identity. He (Neeraj) may have given him a platform, but the artist within him is immense. From the very beginning, he completely surrendered himself to the character of Deepak in Masaan. There were moments when he became the character so deeply that he felt he understood things beyond what was written on paper. Even today, Neeraj sees that dedication in all his performances and he extremely feels proud of him – truly proud.”
For Neeraj Ghaywan, Homebound
isn’t about casting the city as a villain, but about examining what it does to people who arrive there with hope. He said, “he doesn’t think the city is the villain. The city only moulds you.”
“Through this film, they were also trying to say that in our country, there are many kinds of people – people who are very different from us, who don’t look like us, who may live far away from us. Their food habits are different, their faith is different, their caste is different. Yes, there will be differences and disagreements. But between all of this, what matters most between two people is empathy. We need humanity above everything else.
Talking about Homebound shortlisted for the Oscars 2026, the director said, “It is a matter of great pride, and also a huge responsibility. He will work very hard for it. But doesn’t to place expectations on it. He believes that whatever is meant to happen will happen. All he wants to do is keep working honestly and take his country forward.
He emphasises why stories of displacement and loss had to be told. “It was important to tell these stories because we are slowly forgetting them. They act as if such lives don’t exist. It was important to acknowledge the pain of people who walked miles to return home, to recognise their suffering.”
On Simplicity, Neeraj says,Notwithstanding labels attached to him over the years, ,he would simply like to be called an artist. He tells stories – many kinds of stories – acknowledges that his background shapes his perspective.
“Because he comes from a particular community, his inclination may naturally lean towards those experiences – because he understands that pain deeply. Through that understanding, he is also able to reach out to other marginalised communities.
Neeraj Ghaywan’s critically acclaimed drama Homebound follows the lives and aspirations of two friends from rural India, has been shortlisted in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, alongside 14 other films.
The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in May and has since continued its successful festival run.
Homebound is competing with international titles including Argentina’s Belen, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling and Iraq’s The President’s Cake for a place among the final Oscar nominees.
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles.
The project also boasts Martin Scorsese as its executive producer. At its core, Homebound explores the enduring bond between a Muslim and a Dalit childhood friend as they pursue police jobs that symbolise dignity and social acceptance long denied to them because of their surnames.
News Edit KV Raman
