Homebound reaches Oscars, skips hometown screening

While the film has received critical acclaim in international festivals, residents of Devari say they are yet to see the movie

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound has brought Mohammad Sayyub and Amrit Kumar's heartbreaking story to the global stage but the people of the village in Uttar Pradesh's Basti district are still waiting for a screening of the film.

The movie, which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and has been chosen as India's official selection for the 2026 Academy Awards, is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer's The New York Times article "Taking Amrit Home" (A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway). It was released in theatres last month.

The article narrated the true story of Amrit Kumar, a migrant worker from Devari village in Basti's Bankati block, who collapsed from heat stroke on a highway while returning home from Surat during the Covid-19 pandemic, and his friend Mohammad Saiyub refused to leave his side.

While the film has received critical-acclaim in international festivals, residents of Devari say they are yet to see the movie.

The nearest cinema hall is about 25 kilometres away, a distance few villagers can afford to travel. It is also not known if the movie, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, is playing in the theatre.