Homebound, the acclaimed drama film from filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, will serve as the closing film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025, the organisers announced on Friday.

Starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa, the film made waves earlier this year with its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Backed by producers Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra, the project also features global cinema heavyweight Martin Scorsese as executive producer.

“Homebound explores the fragile threads of friendship, ambition, and the emotional cost of breaking free to come into your own. IFFM has long championed meaningful cinema, and I’m very excited that Homebound is part of that legacy as their closing film,” Ghayan said in a statement.

The movie, which is executive produced by Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese, revolves around two childhood friends played by Khatter and Jethwa. The official synopsis of the film reads: “Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.” Homebound is inspired by the New York Times 2020 essay “Taking Amrit Home” by journalist Basharat Peer.