Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa accomplished many feats internationally this year. Recently, it added another big achievement by being India’s official entry at the Oscars 2026 in the Best International Feature Film category. While the whole team is excited about this milestone, Ishaan Khatter was on cloud nine when the news broke, literally.

“Jab news aaya, main hawa mein ud raha tha, quite literally. I was on a flight back from New York to Mumbai. I lost connection for the duration, and then finally when it came back, it was like a barrage of messages on my phone and people were calling me. I couldn’t understand what was going on and for the very first time in these two years, Neeraj gave me a gaali ki ‘saale, tu phone kyun nahi utha raha’. When I landed, I realised I couldn’t fathom what was happening. Main hawa mein ud raha tha, and abhi bhi neeche aa raha hun dheere dheere,” he gushes.

Ishaan feels proud of how everyone has unanimously connected to the film, and admits it boasts well for the decision of selecting the film for Oscars from India. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a collective sentiment for a film that feels so deserving,” he says, adding, “But even before all of the accolades, even before Cannes and the TIFF glory, I was very proud of this film already because it’s a unique film.”

Explaining why, he says, “It talks about so many beautiful things, including empathy and compassion at a time where we’re starting to see the world getting more and more intolerant.” He applauds his director too, calling him the best person for the job: “Neeraj is possibly one of the finest directors that we’ve ever had. He has a social consciousness and a social voice that really shines through his films. His politics never supersedes his narrative, and it’s a very beautiful thing. We’ve been waiting for Homebound to come to India as it’s a film that is made for and about our people.”

Ishaan shares that the international recognition that Homebound got has increased their confidence. “It has been very reassuring and heartwarming because this is a film that we made with utmost sincerity and heart. Anybody who signed on to this signed on with intention, involvement and deep belief in the story that we are telling. To get that kind of reciprocation, and acceptance and love from these platforms that are global platforms, it means so much for any film from anywhere in the world. It definitely started to reassure us that what he managed to do is tell a story that has a universal heart and a universal appeal. Now all the accolades, the Oscar selection, it’s just all bonus. We couldn’t have asked for anything more than this,” he says, adding, “TIFF is arguably the most prestigious North American film festival while Cannes is like the Mecca films. Now, with the Academy selection, it’s like we have completed the trifecta.”