It's indeed not a happy day for entertainment and Bollywood as, sadly, Dharma Productions' Homebound, starring Vishal Jethwa and Ishaan Khatter, is out of the Oscars race.
The final nominations for the Oscars 2026 were announced today, January 22, and India's entry is not among the five films nominated in the category. While Homebound did not make the final Oscars cut, it had earlier created strong buzz.
Produced by Dharma Productions' Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Adar Poonawalla, Homebound is based on a New York Times article by Basharat Peer, published in 2020. The film follows the story of two friends, Shoaib and Chandan, who come from oppressed backgrounds and struggle to make their place in a society plagued by systemic discrimination. The story tracks their journey during the COVID-19 lockdown, when they lose their livelihood and are left in a lurch, trying to find ways to return home.
The film didn't fare well at the box office but was loved and adored on OTT. Many critics and theatre owners argued that the film had very limited screens, which led to the box-office debacle.
The nominated Best International Feature Films are — The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just An Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirât (Spain) and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).
Homebound became only the fifth Indian film ever to be shortlisted for an Oscar. Mother India (1958) was the first Indian movie to be nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category and famously lost to The Nights of Cabiria from Italy by just one vote. Thirty years later, hopes for India shining at the Academy Awards emerged again with Salaam Bombay (1989). The Mira Nair film was shortlisted and ultimately secured a nomination, but lost again. Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (2002) became the third Indian film to secure an Oscar nomination.
"Doing an Oscar campaign will cost money": Karan Johar
Karan, in an earlier chat with Peeping Moon, spoke about the Oscar campaign. He said, "We were doing Homebound. I told him that doing an Oscar campaign will cost money, and sometimes it is a bottomless pit. Because you don't know what the result will be, and whether you will even make it to the shortlist of 15 and then five. It is an uphill task."
He continued, "You have to employ publicists, travel, make noise, do media abroad and hold screenings overseas. But Adar said, 'Karan, this is a great opportunity and a great film. Let's do everything in our capacity. Let's not think of profit and loss on this one. Let's think of passion over any monetary benefit.' That's what we did. It is not a money-making exercise for us. It is about credibility. We will do other films for survival, but Homebound was always a passion project. There is no monetary game in that film."
A few months ago, journalist-turned-author Puja Changoiwala initiated legal action against Homebound, alleging that the makers had plagiarised her 2021 novel of the same name. Dharma Productions responded to the allegations and called them "baseless and unfounded."
"The allegations of copyright infringement are baseless and unfounded, and Dharma Productions categorically denies the same. Homebound is an officially licensed adaptation inspired by the New York Times article by Basharat Peer, with all requisite rights lawfully acquired and due credit duly provided," they told HT.
HUGE thanks to the Academy for not nominating an average film like Homebound.. pic.twitter.com/YiQXiwNag9
— how long is avatar (@doug_1399) January 22, 2026
Meanwhile, netizens have shared mixed reactions to Homebound being out of the Oscars race.
A user wrote, "HUGE thanks to the Academy for not nominating an average film like Homebound.."
Another wrote, "What is so exceptional about Homebound ? First of all it suffers from bad casting , secondly there is no realistic portrayal of caste and religion discrimination, also the Covid thing was also full cringe . Liked the performances from Ishan and Vishal despite them being wrongly casted ,Neeraj rocked when it came to direction. It amplified few scenes which could have been average . But after all can't believe this movie is in top 15 of Oscars . There are many cringe and unrealistic portrayal of drama.."
