Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and director Neeraj Ghaywan attended the press conference of Homebound at a multiplex in Mumbai. The actors spoke about the Oscar honour and also screening the film at 78th Cannes Film Festival as well as 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). At one point, Neeraj Ghaywan opened up about the casting of the film.
Homebound press conference: Neeraj Ghaywan opens up on casting: “Many wonder, ‘Why are you casting Janhvi Kapoor for the role of a Dalit?’”; reveals, “On my sets, there are no light dada, spot dada and no hierarchy…50% crew are women”
Neeraj Ghaywan said, “I look for the intention of the actor. It doesn’t matter if people say, ‘These actors are good looking. They don’t look like villagers’. And this has become a perception. Some ask, ‘Why are fair-skinned actors playing lower class characters?’ or ‘Why are you casting Janhvi Kapoor for the role of a Dalit?’. Lekin hamare Bharatvarsh mein har tareeke ke log hain.”
He added, “What I looked for were acting talent and the hunger to give your best. There should be a conviction that you’ll perform with sincerity. All three are fine actors. But for me, it was not enough that they recite the lines or perform the movement as required. They were representing a community. There are thousands of Shoaib, Chandan, Sudha and Varsha. Hence, they had a responsibility on their shoulders.”
Neeraj continued, “I told them, ‘Yeh kirdaar aapke paas nahin aane waale. Aapko uske paas jaana hoga’. I hope to maybe make more films with these three actors.”
Ishaan Khatter revealed, “Yeh kisi ko bhi apne se neecha nahin samajte. There’s no hierarchy on the set. In fact, he’s the first one to break the hierarchy. There’s no spot dada or light dada. We were told to call them by their name. Everyone had the freedom to approach him and ask him about any doubt. I have seen this myself. If anybody is hesitant, he approaches them and says, ‘What do you think of this scene?’. He knows the maximum about the film he wants. Yet, he listens to everyone. That’s a very rare quality. Everybody is humanised on the set.”
Neeraj revealed, “I was clear that there has to be more than 50% women crew. And they can’t be just token crew members. They had to be HODs. I have a mandate to prefer people who are mostly ignored. It could be Dalits, Muslims, LGBTQI etc. I try to prefer people who are equally talented to come on board.”
Homebound releases in cinemas on September 26.
Also Read: Neeraj Ghaywan says, “I will be most happy if Homebound brings in the Oscar for India”
BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.