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As fans were awaiting to see Homebound be nominated at the 98th Academy Awards, Neeraj Ghaywan's film failed to secure a spot in the list of five films for the Best International Feature category.
Previously, only three Indian films have ever received a nod for this category, including Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Lagaan (2001).
This year all the films that were nominated in this category were The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sentimental Value (Norway), The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia), It Was Just an Accident (France), and Spain's Sirât.
Homebound, which stars Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles, was snubbed amid the film's legal troubles as journalist and author Puja Changoiwala took legal action against Dharma Production, alleging copyright infringement.
She has claimed that the film unlawfully draws from her 2021 novel with the same title.
However, the Homebound creators have reiterated that the story was inspired by a 2020 New York Times article by Basharat Peer, titled A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway.
Notably, the Oscars 2026 will air on Sunday, March 15.
