Dharma and Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has been in the news long before it was announced as India’s official Oscar entry. The film drew attention during its festival run, where many wrote about its storytelling and emotional impact.
The spotlight returned recently when fans discovered that Amrit’s family, whose story inspired the film, continues to live in poverty. Viewers demanded that the makers extend real support instead of only using their life as creative material.
Reports claimed that the family had received only 10,000 rupees in compensation. This angered fans, who argued that reducing years of hardship and pain to such a small sum was unfair and insulting.
Neeraj Ghaywan responded with a statement, clarifying that the 10,000 rupees was a personal token he gave Amrit’s father years ago during research. He said it was never meant to be the full support or compensation.
He added that the family had received respect and meaningful support from both him and the producers. However, he avoided sharing exact figures, explaining that revealing money matters would dishonour the bond he shared with Amrit and Saiyub.
Even though Ghaywan’s clarification sounded heartfelt, fans argued that the production team could have done more. They pointed out that inviting the family for a pre-release event or at least informing them of the official release would have shown respect.
Instead, the production house stayed silent and left Ghaywan to defend the controversy. This decision has only made fans question the intentions of Dharma and its PR team, who appear unwilling to engage directly with the issue.
