Neeraj Ghaywan on Janhvi Kapoor's Homebound performance: 'People will wake up'

At the Cannes Film Festival, the newest film, Homebound, had its international debut and received a 9-minute standing ovation. Janhvi Kapoor plays her most prominent part to date in the film, which is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and also features Vishal Jethwa (Salaam Venky) and Ishaan Khatter (Beyond the Clouds and Khaali Peeli).

Neeraj Ghaywan defends casting Janhvi Kapoor

Ghaywan (Juice) justified his casting choice of Kapoor for this role and discussed the criticism she has endured in a recent interview with Variety. He stated, "She’s been maligned publicly and heavily trolled. But when people see this film and her true potential, they’ll wake up to see she’s really made of something else."

Ghaywan asserts that Kapoor fully committed to the story's themes and emotions. He disclosed that he had provided her with B.R. Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste to read in her preparation. His explanation was as follows: "I gave her [Bhimrao Ramji] Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste to read, and she went into a rabbit hole of trying to understand the glaring differences that we live with together."

Tale of friendship and aspiration

Homebound follows two best friends from childhood in a remote North Indian village who have a shared dream of becoming police officers so that they can finally live up to the respect and dignity that society has always denied them. The pressure mounts as they near their objective, posing a threat to their friendship.

Karan Johar reflects on Janhvi Kapoor's emotional journey

In an interview with Variety, producer Karan Johar discussed Kapoor's transformational experience on set with the actor. According to the filmmaker, "She felt she was in 10 days of therapy with Neeraj, and she felt healed as a result. Even now, she says those seven or eight days spent on the sets of 'Homebound' will be her best days on a film set. She felt she wasn’t really acting but going through some sort of personal catharsis."

The producers of Homebound include Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra. Melita Toscan Du Plantier and Marijke de Souza are among the co-producers.

Homebound has been well-received at Cannes and has garnered early critical attention; this might be a turning point for Kapoor as she takes on more complex and demanding parts.