At a time when glossy escapism dominates the box office, a sobering reminder like Homebound risks being ignored. The film with realities many prefer to look away from is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and inspired by Basharat Peer’s essay ‘A Friendship, a Pandemic & a Death Beside the Highway’. It tells the story of two friends, Chandan (a Dalit) and Shoaib (a Muslim), who dream of respect, dignity and stability but are only challenged by caste hierarchies, religious prejudice and bureaucratic apathy.