The Cultural Lens | Film Column | By The Indian Panorama Staff
The Indian film fraternity woke up to bittersweet news this week. Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’, a raw and moving exploration of caste and identity, failed to make the final Oscar nominations for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. This came despite the film being a heavy favorite on the 15-film shortlist announced in late 2025. Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and supported by the legendary Martin Scorsese as an Executive Producer, the film carried the collective hopes of a nation eager to break a 24-year nomination drought.
On January 22, 2026, the Academy revealed the final five nominees: Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Spain’s Sirât, and Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. While India’s official entry was celebrated for its “Top 15” finish—a rare feat achieved by only a handful of Indian films in nearly a century—the omission from the final list felt like a stinging “so close, yet so far” moment for a community that had seen its global stock rise with recent wins like RRR’s “Naatu Naatu.”
The Weight of History: The 24-Year Drought
To understand the reaction of the Indian-American community and the industry in Mumbai, one must look at the data. In the 98-year history of the Oscars, only three Indian films have ever secured a final nomination in this category: Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001).
The “Oscar gap” has become a persistent psychological barrier. Despite India possessing the world’s largest film industry by volume, the elusive statuette for Best International Feature remains out of reach. In 2026, Homebound was arguably our strongest contender since Lagaan. It wasn’t just another entry; it was a “critical darling” that had already won a Global Jury of critics, finishing as the second runner-up at the Toronto International Film Festival and earning a nine-minute standing ovation in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
Decoding the Snub: The Mechanics of the Race
Why did a film with the backing of Scorsese and Johar miss the mark? Industry analysts and the film’s writer, Sumit Roy, have pointed to the sheer logistical and financial gargantua that is an Oscar campaign. Roy noted that “running an Oscar campaign is hard, complicated, and very, very expensive—sometimes the cost of the campaign exceeds the cost of the film itself.”
The competition in 2026 was particularly fierce. Brazil’s The Secret Agent and France’s It Was Just an Accident (directed by Jafar Panahi) dominated the awards circuit from the start. Furthermore, some critics, such as trade expert Sumit Kadel, argued that the subject of social oppression—while poignant—is a “crowded” theme in international cinema. To win over the Academy’s diverse voting bloc, a film needs more than just a powerful message; it needs a “narrative hook” that feels fresh to a Western audience saturated with global social dramas.
| The 2026 Oscar Shortlist vs. Final Nominees | Country | Outcome |
| The Secret Agent | Brazil | Nominated |
| It Was Just an Accident | France | Nominated |
| Sentimental Value | Norway | Nominated |
| Sirât | Spain | Nominated |
| The Voice of Hind Rajab | Tunisia | Nominated |
| Homebound | India | Shortlisted (Top 15) |
| Kokuho | Japan | Shortlisted |
| Palestine 36 | Palestine | Shortlisted |
The Power of ‘Homebound’: A Legacy Beyond Statues
While the snub stings, it shouldn’t overshadow the film’s achievement. Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, Homebound is a deeply empathetic study of two friends, Shoaib and Chandan, who dream of joining the police force to escape their marginalized Dalit and Muslim identities. Inspired by the journalism of Basharat Peer, the film chronicles their journey from a small village to the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ghaywan’s direction—described as “restrained yet hard-hitting”—refuses to play into “poverty porn” for the Western gaze. Instead, it offers a mirror to modern India. As producer Karan Johar poignantly shared on social media after the snub: “Proud! Love you Neeraj Ghaywan for allowing us to bask in your light!” This sentiment echoes across the diaspora. For us, the value of Homebound isn’t in a golden trophy, but in the fact that it forced a global audience to reckon with the complexities of rural India with cinematic grace.
The Way Forward: Authenticity Over Templates
The 2026 Oscar race has proven that Indian cinema is no longer knocking on the door; it is in the room. In fact, four other Indian titles—Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, Mahavatar Narsimha, Tanvi the Great, and Tourist Family—made the eligibility list for Best Picture this year, showing the sheer range of our storytelling.
The lesson from the Homebound journey is clear: our storytellers must continue to prioritize authentic, local narratives over Western templates. We are seeing a shift where the “indie darlings” are being supported by “mainstream heavyweights” (like the Scorsese-Johar-Poonawalla collaboration). This synergy ensures that our films aren’t just seen by elite cinephiles in Paris, but are accessible to audiences in Pune, Patna, and New York.
The golden statuette feels closer than ever because we have stopped “chasing” the Oscar and started telling our truths. Homebound didn’t win a nomination, but it won something more enduring: it made marginalized lives visible on the world’s biggest stage. As Neeraj Ghaywan famously noted, “Cinema doesn’t preach—it connects.” And in 2026, India connected with the world like never before.
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