Homebound – Hindi – Netflix
Yes I know, am a little late for the party, the review’s coming after a while, but then, better late than never. Watched Homebound and it leaves me with mixed feelings. Mostly good, thankfully. But it brings back the eternal uncertainty, do these movies portray a bit too much of India’s negativity, for the covered western awards and appeasement, or are they indeed created with the honesty to bring a change in society?
Read on, to know more. And yeah, let’s discuss.
The Plot.
Homebound tells you the story of Shoaib (Ishaan Khattar) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), who struggle everyday, coming to terms with religious and caste bias. Chandan belongs to the backward class, but hesitates to claim he’s from the SC Community, he ticks on General category and hides his identity. Shoaib is a peon in a government office, and is done listening to jibes about him preferring the neighbouring country over India. Some of his superiors don’t let him touch their bottles or lunch box.
Their families suffer too, from bias and of course, poverty. Shoaib and Chandan appear for Police selection exams, but none of that works out. Sudha (Janhavi Kapoor) shares a beautiful relationship with Chandan, encourages him to study further. But his poverty comes in the way of his higher education, and eventually, the two friends move to Surat and are employed as labourers in a textile mill, until, Covid strikes.
The mill shuts down indefinitely and the two friends now have to fend for themselves, and they decide to return home….amidst all the chaos and restrictions.
What I Enjoyed.
For starters, the raw reality shakes your very core. The rural settings, the language, railway stations, schools, government offices… none of this looks made up. Everything is so natural, so realistic, you feel as if it’s happening to you.
The second half when the Covid lockdown strikes, brings goosebumps. Of course, during the lockdown, news channels were flooding with videos of scores of people, especially migrant workers walking thousands of kilometres back home.
Homebound projects this misery with such honesty, I couldn’t help thanking God, I feel so privileged to have been home during covid, close to my loved ones. Huddled in an overcrowded truck which abandons you midway and you walk 400km home, how sad and terrible it could be. Homebound portrays this agony so well, it touches a chord in our heart.
Performances.
What makes Homebound so good, is the strength of its performances. Ishaan Khattar and Vishal Jethwa nail their parts. They pack a punch, how very realistic they look, speak and emote.
Janhavi Kapoor plays the sweet and understanding Sudha very believably. The supporting cast is very powerful too, they make a lasting impact.
Neeraj Ghaywan definitely does a great job directing the young cast so well.
Things I didn’t Like.
Now, what I am a little sceptical about. It’s just my opinion, but I felt, the bias part, be it religious, casteist or economic, was stretched and exaggerated a bit too much. The first half seemed a bit too slow and repetitive with endless references to our country’s problems. Chandan’s family being wronged at work, and Shoaib being ridiculed amidst an Indo-Pak match, were pretty much predictable.
I guess, this is what you call Western Appeasement.
But come second half, the lockdown portion, and the movie shifts, to a calm and peaceful story of friendship and humanity. It makes you weep, it makes you smile, with it’s subtility.
My Thoughts, Strictly.
I know some of you might disagree, but the discrimination portrayed was far too overstated in my opinion. I mean, Shoaib’s name disappearing from a National Level Examination List, neighbourhood boys refusing to play cricket with Shoaib and Chandan, Chandan’s mother being insulted at workplace, and an entire office mocking Shoaib after a match. These seemed ever so stretched and foreseeable. Such incidents might happen sporadically, but I wonder if it’s as frequent as shown in Homebound.
I think, on an international platform, it’s important that our country’s representation should be more positive and progressive. Homebound kind of generalizes the negatives, which somehow disappoints me.
Conclusion.
Homebound is an intense movie, demanding answers for the many difficulties Indians faced during Covid.
If only, the pace was quicker, if only the movie talked more of the perils of lockdown, if only it had focussed a bit more on the positives as well, this one would have been a masterpiece.
Will it win the Oscar? Yes, there’s a fair chance because it caters to what the western media likes.
But again, it’s just my opinion.
Definitely worth a watch. If not for anything else, for Shoaib and Chandan. For Ishaan and Vishal.
