“We Called Martin Scorsese ‘Bade Pappa’”: Neeraj Ghaywan On Homebound

Director Neeraj Ghaywan talks about about his acclaimed film Homebound, inputs from executive producer Martin Scorcese, and the reality of caste in the industry.

CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Neeraj Ghaywan poses during a portrait session for “Homebound” at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at the terrace of the Palais on May 22, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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When Neeraj Ghaywan [pronounced Nee-ruj Ghe-wun] appears on my screen, he is holding a rather fidgety cat.

“I have two, they’re called Béla and Fellini,” he says, referring to Hungarian and Italian filmmakers Béla Tarr and Federico Fellini. “I named her Béla because she’s black and white, and so are [Béla Tarr’s] films.”

He smiles. “A bit of cinephelia going on here.”

It would seem there is no better time to be a cinephile for Ghaywan — his newest film Homebound was the recipient of a nine-minute standing ovation at Cannes, second runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award at TIFF, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, and most recently, selected as India’s official entry into the Oscars.

“I’m a wreck,” says Ghaywan. “I don’t know how to feel right now, but that’s a great problem to have.”

Homebound, produced by Bollywood behemoth Dharma Productions, is the story of two men from marginalised communities, their dreams, and their friendship. Based on “Taking Amrit Home”, a New York Times story by Basharat Peer, the latter half of the film is set around the time of the pandemic, when thousands of migrant labourers across the country had to find their way home after losing their livelihoods in one fell swoop.

Ghaywan, who is from the much marginalised Dalit community himself, has long been known for his cinema verité style of filmmaking, one that scrutinises little-talked about issues within Indian society. His first feature length film Masaan won two awards in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes in 2015.

Mélita Toscan du Plantier, a producer from Masaan, connected him to Scorsese, who gave multiple rounds of feedback on the script and the edit.

“He’s always wrangled me back to the focus that the friendship is the bastion of this film,” says Ghaywan. “Such graciousness from the best filmmaker in the world; I guess I’m vicariously living every independent filmmaker’s dream.”

Scorsese’s role in the film was kept under wraps for more than a year, which led to the crew giving him the codename “Bade Pappa”, or “Elder Father”.

“We sent him a note at the end, and I signed it ‘Thank you, Bade Pappa, as we like to call it’,” Ghaywan recalls. “He was quite charmed by it.”

One of Scorsese’s suggestions in the edit led to the cutting of an entire romance storyline for Shoaib (Khatter’s character). It was a necessary move, albeit one that involved letting go of the “very, very amazing actress” Reem Shaikh, which Ghaywan describes as his “biggest career hurt”.

Scorsese’s input also helped him toe the line between appealing to the mainstream audience in India and also the Cannes audience. “The way the Indians are, we wear our emotions on our sleeves,” he explains, contrasting the approach with the more “muted or subdued” European idiom of cinema.

“We go to a festival. There’s a standing ovation, an award or two and we come back. What happens to the people that you’re basing these stories on? They never get to see it.” says Ghaywan. “Maybe I won’t make it to a main competition of Cannes festival, but if that gives me appeal [in India] I’m okay to lose a bit of festival cred.”

The team has arranged an upcoming screening of Homebound for Mohammad Saiyub, whom Khatter’s character is based on. Ghaywan is nervous.

“I’m so anxious to know what he thinks,” he says. “I’m also very afraid that it might be super triggering for him.”

Ghaywan’s team spent time with the original families from Peer’s piece during research for the film. He says they couldn’t speak a word, only cry. Above them was a half-torn picture of B.R. Ambedkar, architect of India’s Constitution and lifelong champion of marginalised communities, especially the lower castes.

“Only people from privilege can say that caste doesn’t exist, because it has never affected them,” says Ghaywan.

“They have that privilege to be never questioned. Nobody asks their last name. Nobody is not allowing them in mainstream spaces. That’s why they think it’s not there, because they don’t have people around them at all who are from the oppressed communities.”

So far, Ghaywan is the only openly Dalit creative in front of or behind the camera. That can be a lot of pressure, and has frequently led to questions about his casting of upper caste actors to play lower caste characters.

“It’s a tricky one, because, this question has come from the point of view of how in America people are asking about casting the right community for the right people,” says Ghaywan.

“We are at such a nascent stage that I’m literally the first person [in the industry], and the [lower caste] population is 25%,” he continues, referring to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center that surveyed the backgrounds of 30,000 Indian adults in 17 languages.

“Of course, it is a dream to have a marginalised person play a marginalised character but to get to a point where people even know what that is, you need mainstream people and faces to help.”

A day before Homebound’s theatrical release, news broke that the Indian Censor Board had issued 11 cuts to the film, including in crucial lines talking about caste. This development was reported after my interview with Ghaywan, and he has not replied to requests for comment at the time of publishing.

“Take your best friend, take your friends along, take your families along,” says Ghaywan at the end of our interview. “This movie has been made by a lot of heart, it’s not just some art house bore.”

Homebound is in theatres worldwide starting September 26. After its theatrical run, it will premiere on Netflix.

Homebound stars Vishal Jethwa, Ishaan Khatter, and Jahnvi Kapoor. It is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, produced by Karan Johar, Somen Mishra, Apoorva Mehta and Adar Poonawalla, and co-produced by Marijke deSouza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier. Executive Producers are Martin Scorsese and Pravin Khairnar. Story credits go to Basharat Peer, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Sumit Roy.