Neeraj Ghaywan Pens a Heartfelt Thank You Note After Homebound’s Glorious Cannes Run

After a whirlwind premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, which ended in a nine-minute standing ovation and high praise in the Un Certain Regard section, director Neeraj Ghaywan is finally catching his breath—and taking to Instagram to give credit where it’s long overdue.

In a beautifully honest and layered post, Ghaywan not only celebrates the success of Homebound, but shines a spotlight on the team that made it all possible—giving us a rare peek behind the creative curtain. Grab a chai, because this is a journey worth following.

“Now that the whirlwind that was Cannes is over, I’d like to acknowledge the contributions of people associated with our film #Homebound,” Ghaywan begins.

The film’s origin traces back to Basharat Peer’s poignant New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home.” Producer Somen Mishra, who was clearly wearing his talent scout hat that day, introduced the piece to Ghaywan and pitched the idea of him directing it. Spoiler alert: Basharat loved it.

Then came the tricky part—writing a full feature screenplay. Ghaywan, known for his directing finesse, admits, “Writing an entire feature film by myself was a difficult undertaking for me.” Enter Sumit Roy, officially a story and screenplay consultant, unofficially a lifeline. Ghaywan credits him for more than just structure: “His mere presence helped me wade through a dark phase and shake off the self-doubt.”

On the dialogue front, Ghaywan brought in his longtime friend and collaborator Varun Grover—a name synonymous with lyrical clarity and emotional precision. “He brought clarity, brevity, elegance, and narrative finesse to the dialogues,” Ghaywan wrote, giving Grover his due for elevating the film’s voice.

The shoutouts didn’t stop there. He extends a warm thank-you to his dialect coach, script supervisor Ibad Shaikh, and the entire development team at Dharma Productions—including Ram, Soumil, Madhurima, Shubham, and Anoushka—who patiently read every single draft (and likely suffered through a few breakdowns too).

And just when you think it’s all wrapped up, Ghaywan casually drops this nugget: “I also wrote the Screenplay of Homebound. That was by myself.”

He ends by thanking Melita Toscan Du Plantier, co-producer and script whisperer, whose constant script reads (and the ability to get Martin Scorsese to offer feedback) helped bring the film to international heights.

At its core, Homebound is a story about friendship, unemployment, and dreams in rural India, rooted in realism and powered by a global creative community. And thanks to Ghaywan’s unfiltered gratitude, we now know it took a village—a very talented, very passionate, slightly sleep-deprived village—to bring it to life.

If the Cannes reception and IMDb score of 7.2/10 are anything to go by, Homebound isn’t just Ghaywan’s most personal film yet—it’s also his most resonant. And after this post? It’s also his most heartfelt.