All attention was on Homebound as the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced. The Neeraj Ghaywan film, however, failed to make it to the final five shortlisted titles in the Best International Feature category.
So far, only three Indian films have secured nominations in this category, earlier known as Best Foreign Language Film. These include Mother India, Salaam Bombay!, and Lagaan. Homebound became only the fourth Indian film to reach the shortlist stage.
The final five films selected were 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. This announcement ended India’s hopes of an Oscar nomination this year.
While disappointment followed Homebound’s exit, the bigger surprise came from Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. The film created history by emerging as the most-nominated film ever at the Oscars, drawing massive global attention.
Sinners received an unprecedented 16 nominations. This broke the long-standing record of 14 nominations held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land, marking a major moment in Academy Awards history.
Despite missing out on Oscars 2026 representation, Homebound has earned strong critical acclaim worldwide. The film had already made its presence felt at several international film festivals and award ceremonies.
Homebound is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra. It is co-produced by Marijke deSouza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier, with Martin Scorsese and Pravin Khairnar serving as Executive Producers.
Although the film could not move beyond the final 15, its journey remains significant. The nation continues to take pride in how a rooted Indian story reached a global platform and sparked meaningful conversations.
