Oscars: India's entry Homebound review

In the current socio-political scenario in India, any sane, producer-pleasing director would know that it’s audacious to catch social evils — such as the draconian caste system and brewing Islamophobia — by their throats and mount them, stark naked, on a giant canvas for (now, literally!) the world to see.

But Neeraj Ghaywan is no people pleaser; if anything, the filmmaker, a man from India’s most oppressed Dalit community, is here to speak his truth and that of thousands like him with the daring, which some may say only the privileged are warranted, and the diction that we all would agree oppressors best understand.

Hard, undeniable social facts sprinkled over everyday, mundane moments of life.

Sure, in essence, ‘Homebound’ — India’s official Oscar entry this year under the ‘Best International Feature’ category— pays homage to the unsung heroes of India during the Covid-19-induced lockdown (no, not the medics) but the kind we seldom think of or extend our gratitude towards. The masons, the janitors, the factory…