Oscar- bound Homebound faces legal row over charges of plagiarism

Days after Neearj Ghaywan’s film Homebound made it to the Oscar shortlist, the film’s makers have been accussed of plagiarism. Homebound is India’s official entry to the Oscars 2026 in the Best International Feature category. The film is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Netflix.

Journalist and author Puja Changoiwala has initiated legal action against the makers, alleging that the film has unlawfully plagiarised her 2021 novel of the same name.

Homebound in legal trouble

In an email to Hindustan Times, Changoiwala revealed that legal action was taken only after her lawyer issued a notice to the production house, which she claims was ignored. According to her, the similarities between her novel Homebound and the film are more than just the title.

Changoiwala acknowledged that both works draw inspiration from a defining national tragedy. As she pointed out, "the subject of both (her novel and the film) is the COVID-19 migrant exodus of 2020." However, she insists that the resemblance does not stop at the broader theme.

"Upon watching the film, I discovered that the producers have not only misappropriated the title of my book, but have also blatantly reproduced substantial portions of my novel in the second half of the film, including its scenes, dialogue, narrative structure, sequence of events, and other creative expressions," she alleged in her email.

Following her viewing of the film, Changoiwala's lawyer sent a legal notice to Dharma Productions on October 15, "providing a detailed, scene-by-scene account of their infringement of (her) rights."

Despite this, the author claims that the production house "refused to acknowledge the violation" in its responses.

She further contended that Dharma "committed a flagrant act of passing off" by using the same title as her book, stating that this "cannot be a coincidence.”

The author alleged that the script was developed in 2022, a year after her novel was published.

‘Important for writers to defend their work’

The author has stated she is seeking substantial remedies in her lawsuit. These include a permanent injunction against the film's distribution, the removal of all allegedly infringing material, a change of the film's title, and monetary damages for the alleged copyright infringement.

Changoiwala stated, "I know I'm challenging powerful entities by taking this step, but I believe it's important for writers to defend their work when it's misappropriated and exploited without their consent."

As of now, Dharma Productions has not issued an official statement responding to the allegations.

About Homebound

The film has had a good run at various film festivals this year and has earned critical praise. The film has its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section on May 21. It later travelled to the Toronto International Film Festival, securing the second runner-up position in the People's Choice category.

The film also served as the closing title at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025, with its final screening held on August 24.

Most recently, Homebound was shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The Oscars ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 15, 2026.

Starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, Homebound is based on a New York Times article by journalist Basharat Peer. The article titled A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway,was based on an image of two friends somewhere on a highway during the pandemic. The image of a man, cradling his dead friend, moved Basharat and led him to their village to find out more about their story. Homebound director Neeraj Ghaywan happened to read the article months later and decided to make a film inspired by Basharat’s essay.