It was a memorable night for Indian cinema in New York as legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese hosted a special screening of Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, followed by an engaging Q&A session with the director.
Scorsese, who serves as the executive producer of the film, praised the Indian drama that has been selected as India’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. Before the screening, Scorsese posed for photos with Ghaywan and the film’s lead actors Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, who play best friends Shoaib and Chandan in the story.
Sitting across from him is the highest point in my career in cinema. Mr. Martin Scorsese, the EP on #Homebound hosted a screening and did a QnA with me in NYC!
I was obviously nervous and sweating about doing a QnA with the master. Mr. Scorsese saw that in the green room. He… pic.twitter.com/QwWbzGT0Wt
— Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) November 8, 2025
Production house Dharma Productions, which backed the film, shared moments from the evening on social media, calling it “a night to remember” as the team celebrated the film’s journey alongside one of world cinema’s greatest storytellers.
Neeraj Ghaywan later took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his excitement and gratitude for the experience. Calling it “the highest point” of his career, the filmmaker revealed a touching behind-the-scenes exchange with Scorsese before the event. “Mr. Scorsese saw I was nervous and narrated a funny anecdote about being mistaken for the Hillside Strangler just to calm me down,” Ghaywan wrote. “That’s the generous, selfless master that he is.”
Reflecting on the moment, he added, “I don’t know what the future holds for this film, but sitting across from Martin Scorsese — that’s the biggest award for me.”
The screening also saw the presence of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, further adding to the evening’s cinematic aura.
Based on Basharat Peer’s 2020 New York Times article, Homebound tells the poignant story of two friends navigating uncertainty and emotional upheaval during the pandemic lockdown.
For Neeraj Ghaywan and his team, the evening in New York was more than just a screening — it was a celebration of art, resilience, and the universal language of cinema.