Kiran Rao on why small- town stories take India to the Oscars

The Oscar campaign for Homebound has begun in the US, with the film recently screened there as part of its awards push. Filmmaker Kiran Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies was India's official entry last year, says she is glad to see another smalltown story, this time directed by Neeraj Ghaywan

- Akash Bhatnagar

representing the country.

Asked why such intimate, rooted narratives often get selected, Kiran says, “Big commercial cinema has moved away from stories of our villages, our small towns, the struggles of farmers and the working class. Over the years, juries have chosen these films because they feel like a more authentic representation of the broader masses in this country.”