Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is becoming a festival favourite. After its première at the Cannes Film Festival, the Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer made the cut for the Toronto International Film Festival. Now, the drama — based on an essay by Basharat Peer in The New York Times — has been selected as the closing film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

The drama, which will be screened on August 24, follows two childhood friends from northern India who aspire to become police officers. But as their dream starts to become a reality, their friendship begins to falter. If Ghaywan explored grief and caste discrimination through his maiden directorial venture, Masaan (2015), he trains his lens on friendship this time. “Homebound explores the fragile threads of friendship, ambition, and the emotional cost of breaking free to come into your own,” he shares.

Producer Karan Johar believes that its story about identity will hit home with the Indian diaspora in Australia. He says, “Homebound is a story of aspiration, identity, and the quiet heartbreak that comes with change. Neeraj has crafted a hauntingly beautiful film. To showcase it as the closing film at IFFM is the perfect next step in its journey.”

Homebound is based on an essay by Basharat Peer in The New York Times, in which he told the story of two friends, Mohammad Saiyub and Amrit Kumar, who were struggling to reach their village during the 2020 Covid lockdown.