Vishal Jethwa meets Martin Scorsese with a 'Namaste', as India’s Oscar entry Homebound begins its campaign in New York

For actor Vishal Jethwa, it was a moment that felt straight out of a dream, meeting the living legend Martin Scorsese in New York during the US campaign for Homebound, which is India’s official entry to the 97th Academy Awards. Jethwa stars in the movie alongside Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor. Homebound has been directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.

Martin Scorsese watches Homebound

The meeting took place at an exclusive screening of Homebound hosted for Scorsese, who is also the executive producer on the film. The legendary filmmaker not only watched the film but also expressed his appreciation for the team’s work, a moment that Vishal describes as one of the most unforgettable days of his life.

Sharing his emotions on social media, Vishal wrote, “The living legend himself, Martin Scorsese — greeting me with a Namaste! My God, I still can’t believe this picture is real. What a huge day it was! I’ll never forget this day — the nervousness before meeting Sir, the time spent with him, and the overwhelming joy of knowing that he not only saw our film but also liked our work. I feel like I am living every actor’s dream.”

For the young actor, who has been lauded for his deeply nuanced performance in Homebound, the meeting was not just a career milestone but a deeply personal moment of validation and inspiration.

Speaking about the encounter, Vishal added, “When we learnt that we are going to be meeting the legend him - Martin Scorsese sir, we knew it was going to be a career highlight for us. To get so many key moments in my career from one film is truly special and surreal for me. It’s still unbelievable how much this one film has given me and the international recognition it has gotten. When finally the day arrived to meet sir, we were slightly nervous. When we finally met him - his personality was very calm, quiet. He was cracking jokes, telling us about his movies, his life story. I had a desire to take a picture to capture that moment with him and i finally got the picture where i requested him to do Namaste and he very sweetly agreed. So this has all been very exciting to be in his presence and to know that he has seen, liked and appreciated my work”.

The team of Homebound has officially begun its Oscar campaign in the US, with a series of screenings and conversations planned across New York and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

WION's review of Homebound

In her review of Homebound, Shomini Sen wrote, “Films on caste and religion-based discrimination have been made before in India. But what works for Homebound is the subtle messaging. At no point does the film feel preachy. It's unassuming in its ways yet poignant and hard-hitting. These are men whom we have known, working as support staff at homes, at work, but perhaps have never spoken to much. These are people who help us in keeping our homes safe, keeping our homes in order, helping us at work, yet we know so little about them.” Read full review of Homebound here