‘It Really Breaks your Heart’

These characters have huge spirits and they are fighting something that is much bigger than them. The attempt was to portray how they navigate their lives, to retain that spirit and not let it die.

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Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa were at different points in their careers when Director Neeraj Ghaywan (Masaan) picked them for what could be the roles of their lifetime.

In Ghaywan’s new film Homebound, Khatter and Jethwa play childhood friends Shoaib and Chandan, a Muslim and a Dalit, who grow up in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. Despite their status in life, the two dream of breaking out of the restrictions imposed on them by society by joining the state's police force.

Homebound inspired by real characters whose lives were documented in Basharat Peer's New York Times article premiered at the Cannes film festival, where the actors, along with Janhvi Kapoor in a supporting role, made their debut.

In the film, the two friends eventually land jobs in Surat but in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, following the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, are forced to leave town and travel a long distance, mostly by foot, to their village. Homebound is produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions with Martin Scorsese lending his name as the executive producer.

Aseem Chhabra spoke to the two young actors after the world premiere of Homebound.

Ishaan and Vishal, you have acted in many films. Actors can do anything but in the film, both of you bring out that friendship quality so convincingly. Did you know each other from before?

Ishaan: Only socially.

Vishal: We met in July and August 2024, and started filming in September 2024.

Ishaan: Vishal and I read together in July. Once everything was locked, Neeraj insisted we spend one-on-one time together.

He wanted us to develop the spirit of this friendship. He also said, ‘I want you to be vulnerable with each other, share things from the past, and not just the happy stuff.’