Oscar 2026: India’s official entry Homebound faces strong global competition

Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa star in Homebound

• Homebound is India's official Oscar entry, shortlisted for Best International Feature
• Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor film praised at Cannes, TIFF
• Final Oscar nominees for the category will be announced on January 22, 2026

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Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is currently making headlines after it was named India’s official submission and advanced to the Best International Feature Film shortlist. The film is competing with the 15 other titles to make it to the final nominations.

The movie, which stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, has received widespread praise as it was premiered at the global film festivals, including Cannes and TIFF. The film also received support from the executive producer Martin Scorsese, which has elevated its chances of winning an Oscar.

Indian fans have been hoping Homebound to make it to the Oscars 2026 nominations, but it has some of the strong contenders.

The film is competing with movies around the world, including Argentina’s Belen, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, and France’s It Was Just an Accident, among others, also shortlisted in the Best International Feature category.

There weren't many shocks on the shortlist for the Best International Feature Film category, but distributor Neon was able to clinch a record five of the fifteen seats.

The UK's My Father's Shadow was defeated by Switzerland's Late Shift, even though the latter recently won a Gotham Award for its lead actor, đõpẹ Dŏrömù.

The list of contenders was nearly exactly as predicted, but Switzerland's Late Shift surprised everyone by taking the place that many had predicted would go to the UK's My Father's Shadow, especially after leading performer Sopé Dìr won the Gotham Award.

Also Read: When Homebound actor Vishal Jethwa revealed he is the son of a ‘kamwali bai’, a look at his success journey

Academy honour isn't always correlated with critical praise and festival momentum, particularly in a category that is notoriously unpredictable.

There were 86 eligible applications from nations and regions worldwide for the international feature film category. A feature-length film (more than 40 minutes) made outside of the United States with a dialogue track that is primarily non-English is classified as an international feature film by the Academy.

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Past Indian films at the Oscars

India has a long history of films making it to the Oscars nominations, but only three Indian films have been nominated: Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Lagaan (2001) had made it to the Best International Feature Film category.

Despite making internationally acclaimed films, India has frequently had trouble turning submissions into nominations. Indian movies have, nevertheless, recently achieved popularity in other genres.

Also Read: Oscars 2026 Nominations: When and Where to watch the 98th Academy Award announcement live in India

The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short, and RRR won Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu, indicating an increasing global recognition.

Homebound hopes to end India's long-standing Oscar drought as the final nominees for the 98th Academy Awards are announced on January 22, 2026.