Neeraj Ghaywan’s social drama Homebound starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor is India’s official entry for the 98th Oscars in Best International Feature category. And if there’s one myth Dharma Productions is keen to bust about the Oscar campaign, it’s this: that there’s a secret playbook to winning once you make it to the Academy’s final rounds.
“There’s a strategy to go from 86 films to 15,” says Dharma Productions’ creative head Somen Mishra. “But there’s no strategy to go from 15 to five.”
According to Mishra, the real battle was getting Academy members to simply watch the film in the first place. With a record 86 international entries this year, the odds were brutal. “Once you reach the top 15, all the films are good,” he tells The Telegraph Online. “It’s not about campaigning aggressively anymore. It’s about awareness. The more people watch it, the more likely they are to vote for it.”
That awareness push explains why Dharma has doubled down on targeted screenings rather than splashy stunts. The plan follows their strategy for the first-round: curated screenings in Los Angeles and New York, all aimed at getting Academy members to opt in.
Mishra explains that voters in the International Feature category have to actively opt in to watch all 15 films before ranking them.
Why Scorsese mattered — and still does
One name, however, has already made a tangible difference: Martin Scorsese.
During the first round, a New York screening backed by Scorsese proved pivotal. “A lot of Academy members didn’t even know about Homebound,” Mishra admits. “They came because Martin was supporting the film. They came for him. And then they were moved by the film.”
That kind of endorsement, Mishra points out, isn’t an exception — it’s the norm at this level. From Tom Cruise hosting a screening for Japan’s Kokuho to Sean Penn backing another contender Manas, almost every serious international Oscar hopeful has a recognisable Hollywood face attached.
“You need a face,” Mishra says bluntly. “That’s how these films reach more people.”
Dharma is now in talks with “one or two” prominent Hollywood figures who’ve seen and liked Homebound, hoping they’ll host Q&As or screenings that can further amplify the film’s presence.
No race, no chest-thumping
Asked how Homebound plans to “compete” with heavyweights like Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, South Korea’s No Other Choice, or Brazil’s A Secret Agent, Mishra is clear on their modus operandi.
“It’s not a race,” he says. “Out of the 15 films, eight or nine are very strong. It comes down to personal choice,” Mishra acknowledges. “Luck, timing, and maybe a miracle play their part”.
What can be controlled is presence, and on that front, the calendar is packed for the cast and crew of Homebound.
Neeraj Ghaywan and the team are attending the Palm Springs International Film Festival, long considered a key Oscar bellwether, followed by panel discussions, Q&As, and post-holiday screenings in LA and possibly New York in early January, just ahead of the 12-16 January voting window.
“Homebound is on Netflix. So that also helps in terms of optics and visibility as it's available worldwide,” Mishra adds.
The money question
Inevitably, the conversation turns to money. After all, SS Rajamouli’s RRR made headlines in 2022 with eye-watering figures about their reported Oscar campaign budget.
Mishra is quick to distance Homebound from those numbers. “We are nowhere near that figure,” he says. “Far, far beyond that”.
For Homebound, the spending is pragmatic; on screenings, travel, accommodation. And Mishra argues the film’s festival journey — from Cannes to Toronto — has already done some of the heavy lifting. And Dharma has roped in Steven Raphael as a consultant for the campaign.
“TIFF gives you North American visibility,” he says. “And Martin Scorsese, of course. These things matter”. “There’s nothing else you can do,” he says. “Make people watch it. Hope they like it.”
