Campaigning for the Oscars can at times feel like a “bottomless pit” in terms of expense, filmmaker Karan Johar has said, amid high hopes from Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound to make it to the final list of nominees for the Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
Homebound, backed by Johar’s Dharma Productions, made it to the shortlist of 15 films in the category. The final nominations will be revealed on January 22.
Johar discussed the financial and logistical demands of an Oscar campaign during a recent podcast appearance on PeepingMoon and Telly MEK on YouTube. While the recognition was worth celebrating, it also came with the reality of sustained spending on international promotions, screenings, and publicity, he said.
The filmmaker-producer revealed that his business partner, Adar Poonawalla, fully backed the Oscar campaign for Homebound, despite the high costs involved. According to Johar, Poonawalla viewed the campaign as an opportunity to support a strong film rather than a risky financial investment.
“We were doing Homebound. I told him that doing an Oscar campaign will cost money and sometimes it is a bottomless pit. Because you don’t know what the end result will be, and whether you will even make to the shortlist of 15 and then 5. It is an uphill task,” Johar said.
Johar further elaborated on the scale of the effort required to remain competitive in the awards circuit. “You have to employ publicists and travel and make noise and do media abroad and screenings abroad”.
“But Adar said ‘Karan, this is a great opportunity and a great film, let’s do everything in our capacity. Let’s not think of profit and loss on this one. Let’s think of passion over any monetary benefit’. That’s what we did,” the 53-year-old filmmaker added.
“It is not a money making exercise for us. It is about credibility, we will do other films for survival, but Homebound was always a passion project. There is no monetary game in that film,” Karan further said.
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Homebound stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15, with comedian Conan O’Brien returning as host for the second year in a row.
