The daring film 'Homebound' got Oscar buzz, is now on Netflix : NPR

Key Points:

• Renowned director Martin Scorsese secretly served as executive producer for Neeraj Ghaywan’s film "Homebound," which tells the true story of a friendship between a Muslim and a Dalit boy amid India's COVID-19 migrant crisis and caste discrimination.
• The film, based on a 2020 New York Times essay by Basharat Peer, highlights the struggles of migrant workers during India’s pandemic lockdown, focusing on a viral photo of two friends, Mohammad Saiyub and Amrit Kumar, as they tried to return home; Kumar died of heat exhaustion during the journey.
• "Homebound" received critical acclaim, including a nine-minute standing ovation at Cannes, multiple festival awards, and was India’s official submission for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, making the prestigious shortlist despite India’s conservative film censorship.
• Director Ghaywan, who is Dalit himself, infused the film with his personal experiences of caste-based shame and aimed to humanize the marginalized workers’ stories, challenging Bollywood’s usual nationalist narratives.
• The film’s emotional screening in the protagonists’ home village revealed the complex personal impact of the story, with Kumar’s mother refusing to watch the film about her son’s death, underscoring the deep grief and ongoing hardship faced by the families depicted.