Homebound

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Indian cinema is interesting because I'm not really a fan of the traditional Bollywood genre. But anytime when Indie Indian art house movies come to light, I'm very intrigued to check them out.

Neeraj Ghaywan captures a heartbreaking and warming tale about friendship, the struggles of the caste system and the ongoing conflicts between the culture and barriers the characters are established in. Ghaywan's previous movie Masaan was pretty good and with this new movie, he continues to capture the atmosphere, and the realistic nature of the societal environment of India and it's political working class setting perfectly. Ghaywan portray of the two main characters was interesting as the characters are well-written and engaging to observe. As if you are wanting to see what their struggles, goals and compassion they are wanting to succeed towards. To top it off, the performances are pretty good as the chemistry and charm between the two leads were emotional and engaging.

Alongside with the good camerawork, production, colors and the sound designs, the narrative offers some interesting concepts and moments throughout. While at times, some of the writing does feel a bit cliched and certain emotional aspects does lean a little too much towards some of the cheesy aspects about Indian cinema. The majority of its dialogue and emotional weight remains successful.

I do enjoy some of the social class themes and a good tale about friendship as it's always interesting to observe, when it's done right of course. Overall, it's a good story and emotional to observe.

The authenticity this film exudes, despite some visible studio and censor meddling, makes it an incredible experience, even though you can see where it is going. The forced disclaimer at the beginning, despite this being based on a true story, really tells you how important this film is. It truly shows all the issues in India through the sweet friendship of two young men and their lives. Beyond the obvious bigotry, there are a lot of invisible ones that not only become a barrier for one, but also for the perception of what one can achieve. Even when films try to portray those things, it's not captured perfectly like this a lot of the time. These things also factor into why the system and those who enforce the rules act certain way.

The acting in the film has also been spectacular all around. The two leads were great, and they are getting the praise, but also got to note how good their family was. Especially the mother and sister of Chandan were fantastic. If I didn't know about the ending already because it's a true story, that ending would've totally broken me. Probably the best Indian film of the year so far for me.

The film opens like a bruise and never looks away, charting two friends split by how they wear identity-one hides caste, one holds faith-yet crushed by the same weight of injustice. It's humane, unsentimental, and quietly devastating.

The first half captures the social dilemma with granular realism.

Post-interval, the film turns into a metaphor made flesh-it's the weather of their lives, storming through choices, pride, and survival.

The actors are piercing without showiness. A mother's gasp, clutching sandals, freezes the room and etches grief in one breath.

The leads carry exhaustion in their shoulders, tenderness in brief embraces, and the ache of choices that never feel like choices.

Birds rising and dropping against a blank sky, bodies stalled on a bridge, faces caught between sirens and silence. Cuts linger just long enough to sting, the score steps back so the world's sounds can accuse, and the design moves from cramped rooms to transit limbo with unforced clarity.

In a nutshell, movie that leaves the eyes numb and the chest heavy, because it catalogs what happens around us, by us, to us-reality, witnessed without anesthesia, and rendered with aching, beautiful precision.

Bollywood doesn't make good films!!!

Like many of us, this was my favorite line to throw whenever talking about Indian cinema. But deep inside, I knew that whenever a good film released, I never turned up at the theatre to actually watch or support it. Luckily, not this time.

If you've watched Masaan or even heard the praise around it, this is from the same director - and he has now given us Homebound.

It's the story of two friends and their struggles against the deeply chauvinistic, casteist, and communal society we are all a part of. Shoaib and Chandan represent so many of us who were mocked, suppressed, and abused for our caste or religion. We all dreamt of becoming so successful that we could escape this bullying - but real life doesn't work like that, not even for Shoaib and Chandan.

And yet, in the middle of hatred and a system that keeps punching down, their friendship blossoms beautifully. Chandan needs a job so he can build a pakka makan for his labourer parents and marry off his sister. Shoaib wants one for his disabled father, who can no longer work. Somehow, through their brilliance and sharp skills, they achieve success - but the system once again pushes them back into poverty. To escape, they take up work as labourers, until Covid hits.

What happens next? Please go to the theatre to witness it yourself.

When the movie ended, we were left speechless. The hall had barely 25-30 people, but every single one of us sat through the credits, trying to digest what we had just experienced. Clapping for this brilliant film was the least we could do - and we did.

In the end, this is my heartfelt request: please go to the theatre and support this movie ♥

I have always been against the idea of reservation. Coming from a place where equality is practiced and discrimination is rarely visible, I never truly understood why such policies existed. My mindset was shaped by an environment where everyone seemed equal, and so I felt reservations were unnecessary.

But after watching Homebound, my perspective changed completely. I have seen many films on this topic before, but somehow this one left a much deeper impact on me. It forced me to reflect on the long history of suffering and humiliation faced by lower-caste communities.

For the first time, I truly felt the weight of their struggles, and it made me realize how privileged I was to never experience such injustice. Thinking about the generations who endured discrimination fills me with shame, but also gratitude for the awareness this movie gave me.

Homebound is not just a film-it's an eye-opener. It has the power to change minds, as it did with mine.