<p>It is a proud moment for India as Neeraj Ghaywan’s film <i>Homebound</i>, featuring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, has made it to the shortlist of the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards. The film is India’s official entry at the Oscars 2026 and is now in the top 15 contending to be nominated in the Best International Feature category. The film is the fifth Indian film to make it to the shortlist, which itself calls for celebration. But what does it mean to be on the Oscar shortlist? And does it mean that the film has now secured a nomination at the Oscars 2026? Here’s what it means.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Homebound makes it to Oscar shortlist: What does it mean?</h2><p>The film, which premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, has made it to the Oscar 2026 shortlist in the Best International Feature category. Now, qualifying for the shortlist is in itself a big achievement, considering over 80 films were competing in this category.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While in other categories, only the Academy members relevant to that category are eligible to vote, the case is different for the Best International Feature category.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For instance, only documentary filmmakers are eligible to vote in the best documentary categories. But in the International Feature category, an Academy member has to watch all other contenders and then opt in to vote in the category. The competition is also quite huge and diverse, given that India’s official Oscars entry competed with each country’s official entry.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It should be noted that <i>Homebound </i>has found a spot among films like Jafar Panahi’s I<i>t Was Just An Accident</i> (France) and Park Chan-wook’s<i> No Other Choice </i>(South Korea).</p><h2>What’s next?</h2><p>Homebound is now part of the top 15. From here, it’s an uphill road for the film and its team which will have to campaign hard in order to make members of the Academy watch the film in order to secure more votes and thus make it to the top 5 nominations in the Best International Feature category.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Homebound will face competition in Jafar Panahi’s <i>It Was Just An Accident </i>(France), Park Chan-Wook’s <i>No Other Choice</i> (South Korea), and Joachim Trier’s <i>Sentimental Value</i> (Norway) in the category.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It should be noted that India has never won an Oscar in the Best International Feature category. The last nomination from India in this category was<i> Lagaan</i> back in 2002, which lost to the Bosnian film&nbsp;<i>No Man’s Land.</i></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Only 4 Indian films made it to the shortlist</h2><p>Before <i>Homebound,</i> only four Indian films have made it to the shortlist so far. As per the official website of the Film Federation of India, three of them also made it to the final Best International Feature category (then known as Best Foreign Film category), but didn’t win the Oscar. The films include Mehboob Khan’s <i>Mother India</i> (1957), which was also the first time India sent its official entry to the 30th Academy Awards.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>30 years later, Mira Nair’s <i>Salaam Bombay!</i> (1988) also made it to the nomination list, and 14 years later, <i>Lagaan </i>(2001) made it to the final category.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The only time an official entry from India has made it to the shortlist, but not to the main category, is Pan Nalin’s 2021 Gujarati film, <i>The Last Film Show.</i></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>India's history at Oscars</h2><p>Producer of Homebound Karan Johar took to Instagram to share his excitement over the film’s selection in the Oscar shortlist.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>“I am not sure I can articulate how proud, elated and over the moon I am with the journey of #HOMEBOUND… all of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography,” he wrote, adding, “From Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey!” Ghaywan also shared the news on his social media handles, writing, “We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we’ve received from around the world.”</p>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSVj8GwE4u1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSVj8GwE4u1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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<p> </p><p>Interestingly, while India is the world’s largest producer of films, only 10 Indians have won an Oscar so far, including an honorary Oscar for the late filmmaker Satyajit Ray in 1992.</p><p> </p><p>Many would also recall that SS Rajamouli’s 2022 Telugu blockbuster, <i>RRR,</i> won the Best Original Song Oscar for the hit song ‘<i>Natu Natu’.</i></p><p> </p><p>The 2026 Oscar nominations will be announced on January 22, 2026. </p>

Neeraj Ghaywan's directorial Homebound has made it to the Oscar shortlist in the Best International Feature category. The fim features Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles. Here's what it means to be selected in the Oscars shortlist. 

It is a proud moment for India as Neeraj Ghaywan’s film Homebound, featuring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, has made it to the shortlist of the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards. The film is India’s official entry at the Oscars 2026 and is now in the top 15 contending to be nominated in the Best International Feature category. The film is the fifth Indian film to make it to the shortlist, which itself calls for celebration. But what does it mean to be on the Oscar shortlist? And does it mean that the film has now secured a nomination at the Oscars 2026? Here’s what it means. Homebound makes it to Oscar shortlist: What does it mean? The film, which premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, has made it to the Oscar 2026 shortlist in the Best International Feature category. Now, qualifying for the shortlist is in itself a big achievement, considering over 80 films were competing in this category. While in other categories, only the Academy members relevant to that category are eligible to vote, the case is different for the Best International Feature category. For instance, only documentary filmmakers are eligible to vote in the best documentary categories. But in the International Feature category, an Academy member has to watch all other contenders and then opt in to vote in the category. The competition is also quite huge and diverse, given that India’s official Oscars entry competed with each country’s official entry. It should be noted that Homebound has found a spot among films like Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident (France) and Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice (South Korea). What’s next? Homebound is now part of the top 15. From here, it’s an uphill road for the film and its team which will have to campaign hard in order to make members of the Academy watch the film in order to secure more votes and thus make it to the top 5 nominations in the Best International Feature category. Homebound will face competition in Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident (France), Park Chan-Wook’s No Other Choice (South Korea), and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (Norway) in the category. It should be noted that India has never won an Oscar in the Best International Feature category. The last nomination from India in this category was Lagaan back in 2002, which lost to the Bosnian film No Man’s Land. Only 4 Indian films made it to the shortlist Before Homebound, only four Indian films have made it to the shortlist so far. As per the official website of the Film Federation of India, three of them also made it to the final Best International Feature category (then known as Best Foreign Film category), but didn’t win the Oscar. The films include Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), which was also the first time India sent its official entry to the 30th Academy Awards. 30 years later, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) also made it to the nomination list, and 14 years later, Lagaan (2001) made it to the final category. The only time an official entry from India has made it to the shortlist, but not to the main category, is Pan Nalin’s 2021 Gujarati film, The Last Film Show. India's history at Oscars Producer of Homebound Karan Johar took to Instagram to share his excitement over the film’s selection in the Oscar shortlist. “I am not sure I can articulate how proud, elated and over the moon I am with the journey of #HOMEBOUND… all of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography,” he wrote, adding, “From Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey!” Ghaywan also shared the news on his social media handles, writing, “We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we’ve received from around the world.”

<p>Neeraj Ghaywan's directorial Homebound has made it to the Oscar shortlist in the Best International Feature category. The fim features Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles. Here's what it means to be selected in the Oscars shortlist.&nbsp;</p>

Homebound makes it to Oscar shortlist: What does it mean for Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa’s film?

<p>India's Homebound, starring Ishaan Khattar and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles, has been shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. The film is among 15 other international films that have been shortlisted.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The International Feature Film shortlist features movies from across the globe, including Argentina’s Belén, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Japan’s Kokuho, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Palestine’s Palestine 36, South Korea’s No Other Choice, Spain’s Sirât, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, and India’s Homebound.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Celebrating the achievement on Instagram, the Dharma Production team wrote, “Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we’ve received from around the world.🙏🏻”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Moreover, the Producer of the film, Karan Johar, shared the a snapshot of the list of films shortlisted and wrote, “I am not sure I can articulate how proud, elated and over the moon I am with the journey of #HOMEBOUND… all of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography … thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true… from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film!!!!!!!!! Upwards and onwards…….. #HOMEBOUND streaming now on @netflix_in (sic).”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>The story of Homebound</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is a story of two childhood friends striving to pass the national police exam, a career path that could bring them dignity and stability. The film has also touched on key issues in India, like casteism.</p>

Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is a story of two childhood friends striving to pass the national police exam, a career path that could bring them dignity and stability. The film has also touched on key issues in India, like casteism.

India's Homebound, starring Ishaan Khattar and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles, has been shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. The film is among 15 other international films that have been shortlisted. The International Feature Film shortlist features movies from across the globe, including Argentina’s Belén, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Japan’s Kokuho, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Palestine’s Palestine 36, South Korea’s No Other Choice, Spain’s Sirât, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, and India’s Homebound. Celebrating the achievement on Instagram, the Dharma Production team wrote, “Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we’ve received from around the world.🙏🏻” Moreover, the Producer of the film, Karan Johar, shared the a snapshot of the list of films shortlisted and wrote, “I am not sure I can articulate how proud, elated and over the moon I am with the journey of #HOMEBOUND… all of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography … thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true… from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film!!!!!!!!! Upwards and onwards…….. #HOMEBOUND streaming now on @netflix_in (sic).” The story of Homebound Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is a story of two childhood friends striving to pass the national police exam, a career path that could bring them dignity and stability. The film has also touched on key issues in India, like casteism.

<p>Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is a story of two childhood friends striving to pass the national police exam, a career path that could bring them dignity and stability. The film has also touched on key issues in India, like casteism.</p>

Oscar 2026: Homebound, starring Ishaan Khattar, shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at Academy Awards

Oscars season has created a buzz over the world while the contenders for the award function have been disclosed including from Sinner to Wicked: For Good, and  Avatar: Fire and Ash to Materialists. Let's lookout the list. 

<p>Oscars season has created a buzz over the world while the contenders for the award function have been disclosed including Sinner, Wicked: For Good, and &nbsp;Avatar: Fire and Ash to Materialists. Let's lookout at the list.&nbsp;</p>

Materialists, Hamnet, Bugonia and more: The race for Oscar 2026 begins...

<p>A new Oscar for best casting is being introduced by the Academy awards organisers. The award will be given out from the year 2026 onwards. It will be the first new competitive category at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was added in 2002.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Casting directors have campaigned in recent years to be recognised for their work in a similar manner in which other crafts of filmmaking such as sound, costume, hair and makeup are recognised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a statement, Academy bosses said casting directors "play an essential role in filmmaking".</p>

<p>Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang added in the statement, "As the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognise and celebrate."</p>

<p>"We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process," they further said.<br />
<br />
The category will only be introduced in 2026 because the Academy plans ceremonies years in advance.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Oscar Awards</strong><br />
<br />
The move comes despite the Academy's efforts to shorten the Oscars ceremony in recent years to keep viewers interested and hooked. Often, the show runs well over its scheduled three hours. At present 23 awards are given out at the Oscars. However, the the most popular awards are only a handful of categories including Best Picture, the acting categories and Best Director.</p>

<p><br />
The Academy did not confirm whether the new casting category would be included in the telecast of the awards show. A decision will likely not be made closer to the 2026 ceremony.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Casting directors are typically among the earliest staff to be involved in any new film project, playing a key role in shaping major Hollywood films. They are instrumental in casting A-list stars who will be the face of a film. They also cast actors for supporting roles.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Stunt performers have also been campaigning for their own category at the Academy Awards, but so far have not been recognised.</p>

<p>One of the key precursor ceremonies, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, introduced a stunt category in 2007. Last year, it was won by the team who worked on<em> Top Gun: Maverick.</em><br />
<br />
<strong>The Popular Film category at Oscars</strong><br />
<br />
The introduction of the new category has received mostly positive responses, unlike Oscar's previous deliberation around introducing the popular film category back in 2018. The proposed category was termed as a move to recognise films that are box office hits but may not earn nominations in traditional categories. The category- of introduced- would include summer blockbusters and superhero franchises.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
However, the move prompted criticism, as many high-profile industry figures said such a category would dilute the prestige and integrity of the Oscars.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, the Golden Globes introduced a box office achievement prize, which went to Greta Gerwig's Barbie. The film lost out at some of the major categories at the ceremony.<br />
<br />
<strong>Oscars 2024</strong><br />
<br />
Comedian and TV host Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the Oscars 2024. The ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 10 March. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is leading with 13 nominations this year while Greta Gerwig's Barbie has been nearly sidelined.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


A new Oscar for best casting is being introduced by the Academy awards organisers. The award will be given out from the year 2026 onwards. It will be the first new competitive category at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was added in 2002.

A new Oscar for best casting is being introduced by the Academy awards organisers. The award will be given out from the year 2026 onwards. It will be the first new competitive category at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was added in 2002. Casting directors have campaigned in recent years to be recognised for their work in a similar manner in which other crafts of filmmaking such as sound, costume, hair and makeup are recognised. In a statement, Academy bosses said casting directors "play an essential role in filmmaking". Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang added in the statement, "As the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognise and celebrate." "We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process," they further said. The category will only be introduced in 2026 because the Academy plans ceremonies years in advance. Oscar Awards The move comes despite the Academy's efforts to shorten the Oscars ceremony in recent years to keep viewers interested and hooked. Often, the show runs well over its scheduled three hours. At present 23 awards are given out at the Oscars. However, the the most popular awards are only a handful of categories including Best Picture, the acting categories and Best Director. The Academy did not confirm whether the new casting category would be included in the telecast of the awards show. A decision will likely not be made closer to the 2026 ceremony. Casting directors are typically among the earliest staff to be involved in any new film project, playing a key role in shaping major Hollywood films. They are instrumental in casting A-list stars who will be the face of a film. They also cast actors for supporting roles. Stunt performers have also been campaigning for their own category at the Academy Awards, but so far have not been recognised. One of the key precursor ceremonies, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, introduced a stunt category in 2007. Last year, it was won by the team who worked on Top Gun: Maverick. The Popular Film category at Oscars The introduction of the new category has received mostly positive responses, unlike Oscar's previous deliberation around introducing the popular film category back in 2018. The proposed category was termed as a move to recognise films that are box office hits but may not earn nominations in traditional categories. The category- of introduced- would include summer blockbusters and superhero franchises. However, the move prompted criticism, as many high-profile industry figures said such a category would dilute the prestige and integrity of the Oscars. Earlier this year, the Golden Globes introduced a box office achievement prize, which went to Greta Gerwig's Barbie. The film lost out at some of the major categories at the ceremony. Oscars 2024 Comedian and TV host Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the Oscars 2024. The ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 10 March. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is leading with 13 nominations this year while Greta Gerwig's Barbie has been nearly sidelined.

Oscars introduces a new category for best casting from 2026

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Homebound makes it to Oscar shortlist: What does it mean for Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa’s film?

Oscar 2026: Homebound shortlisted for Best International Feature Film

Materialists, Hamnet, Bugonia and more: The race for Oscar 2026 begins...

Oscars introduces a new category for best casting from 2026