Oscars 2026: Neeraj Ghaywan's ‘Homebound' fails to bag nomination, out of Academy Awards race

Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s acclaimed drama "Homebound" has been left out of the Oscars 2026 race, failing to secure a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday. India’s entry was among the Academy’s shortlist of 15 in the category but did not make it to the final five.

The five films that received nominations for Best International Feature Film are:

• The Secret Agent (Brazil)
• It Was Just An Accident (France)
• Sentimental Value (Norway)
• Sirat (Spain)
• The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)

The Oscar shortlist had initially included 15 films from around the world: Argentina’s Belen, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Germany’s Sound of Falling, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Japan’s Kokuho, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Palestine’s Palestine 36, South Korea’s No Other Choice, Spain’s Sirat, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, and Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind Rajab.

Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, the Hindi-language film has enjoyed a successful festival run, beginning with its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year.

Inspired by an article headlined "Taking Amrit Home" by journalist Basharat Peer in The New York Times, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles.

It chronicles the childhood friendship between a Muslim and a Dalit, who aspire to join the police force in search of dignity and social acceptance long denied to them because of their surnames. Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese is attached to the project as an executive producer.

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on 15 March at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Only three Indian films have reached the final stage — Mehboob Khan’s "Mother India" (1957), Mira Nair’s "Salaam Bombay!" (1988), and Ashutosh Gowariker’s "Lagaan" (2001). While all three received nominations, none went on to win the Oscar.