October 11, 2025 • 23 mins
Homebound, Neeraj Ghaywan’s second feature film in a decade, is well worth the wait.
Already selected as India’s official entry for the 2026 Oscars, Homebound is just as moving as Ghaywan’s widely admired debut film, Masaan. We discuss its poetic storytelling, deeply empathetic eye, and the fabulous central performances of Vishal Jethwa and Ishaan Khatter.
We also talk about its daring, humanist approach to spotlighting minority communities, and how a tragedy like the COVID-19 pandemic affected them. Later in the episode, we discuss the film’s chances at the Oscars.
—
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:16):
Hi, I'm Akira. Now I'm going now.
Welcome to the long tank. This week, we're discussing the
new Native Jawan movie Homebound, which is inspired and
based on a news article by Rude Real Life Everything.
It stars Vishal Jaitwa, Shawn Cutter and Janhvi Kapoor.
Yeah. Oh, we are brilliant.
This was just, I mean high expectations and it lived up to
(00:37):
them. Yeah, Guy hasn't made like a
movie in what, 12-13, Fourteen years?
1010 for some years. Masan feels longer back.
I don't know why, but yeah. Yeah, the world has kind of
changed a lot in those ten years, yeah.
It's good to see that Gewan hasn't and he hasn't lost his
touch. Yeah, he did have practice with
a couple of like TV things or short deals like.
(01:01):
Short films and mostly TV episodes.
Yeah, yeah. We did like Kili Puchi a lot,
yeah. And.
And this is, this is, yeah, thisis thankfully, he hasn't
changed, you know, because, I mean, forget, like, losing your
touch in 10 years. But so much of the world and the
ecosystem in which he's making his movies has changed also.
(01:22):
Like, it's basically a miracle that this movie not only exists,
but it's been allowed to release, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I want to talk about like
that stuff later. Like I wonder because I was very
annoyed with like the disclaimerstuff up with it, which is like
just a whole culture now with like how our films are released
and then certified or like slashcensor.
(01:42):
But yeah, let's talk about the movie first.
Yeah, I mean, I sort of knew what this was about because of
the article, but I didn't know the structure that the story
would take. Yeah, because isn't.
Going in, I knew like COVID was gonna factor in, but like I had
no idea that it would factor in like what amounts like and are
more or more into the story. Like I think 80 minutes into
(02:04):
the. Story.
Yeah, it's basically the third act is post COVID and it almost
comes as a like, if people don'tknow, then it might even come as
a shock because the movie doesn't quite specify the era
when it begins, right. Because first, firstly, like
just the areas of India in whichthese characters live pretty
(02:26):
backward. So it's not very easy to kind of
gauge what era we are in. Yeah, I can't even.
Tell them a thing which I think is deliberate, right?
Like I can't tell specifically. Like I don't he he wants us to
figure out which kind of like village it is in.
It's like they they go to Surat and that they mention that Surat
say home is 100 kilometers away,but that could be in like any
direction. Yeah, although, I mean, their
(02:49):
language and dialect could be a clue.
But it's like, yeah, sure, Santosh, Santosh, in a way,
right where you're deliberately trying to mask.
Yeah, primarily to not offend politicians of that state.
Sure, and also to like as it works as a benefit that almost
like a film is applicable to any.
Region, everybody. Yeah, yeah.
Although in the opening, what I would credit, thank you.
(03:12):
There's a lot of Madhya Pradesh tourism stuff.
Yeah, yeah. That is a giveaway of at least
where they're shorter, but like that doesn't mean like short
there. He wants to represent that.
So I didn't. I later found out that the
version that I watched wasn't the theatrical gut.
OK. Like was longer or something?
A minute or so, OK. That's not too bad considering I
could have expected like 15 minutes in this kind.
(03:34):
Of movie No, no. Was there a scene in the movie,
The version that you watch, where these two are basically
walking home at this point? They've been dropped off by the
truck guy and they see like a government vehicle of some kind
drive past them and the vehicle does not stop.
(03:56):
We. Didn't have a government
vehicle. I think what we had was like a
private car. Was that the government vehicle
you're referring? To I think so.
There there was this one moment where Chandan is brave.
I think SUV like you know what type vehicle does drive past
them, but I don't know if that'sthe way you're referring.
To I think. I think it's the one I'm
referring to. So I sort of remember it as like
(04:16):
a government vehicle and that also had like a number plate or
something. Yeah.
It had a number plate in ours belt, but I just in my mind it
was like a private vehicle, likeof like people wouldn't storm
right, because they're always scared of like these people will
have corona or whatever. So like no one's gonna take
chances. So this is drove past is what I
thought of it. You know, never clicked to me
that it could be a government vehicle.
Yeah, go on. I don't know.
I just thought it was, I thoughtI saw like a butti on the roof
(04:41):
or something. Possible.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's also like it's evident that
the government is peeped off at some stage because like, I want
to try to avoid bringing this upuntil the end, but like of the
disclaimer, right? Like, Oh my God, like these
things are taking like an A lifeof their own.
No, which wasn't there in the one that I watched, so I have no
idea. So Theatrical 1 has like
disclaimers in English and Hindi.
(05:02):
They're on separate screens. They're not like on the same
screen, which is like a thing initself, but the bigger thing,
which like I literally I was like, I think I'm like in a cage
or something because the disclaimers are read out.
They're not just displayed. So they put in three paragraphs
on the screen and they read themout.
Like imagine sitting there for like 4550 seconds, someone's
reading out the entire disclaimer from word 1 to last
(05:25):
word. They don't skip a single word or
single sentence. Every word is read out, unlike a
reading level space of like you know that you would complement
without read like seeing it on screen so you could listen to
it. I'm like, Oh my God, how long is
this going to take? And then it finishes and then
they do it in Hindi and I'm like, are you kidding me?
Like this I. Would with another Dharma movie
right recently. Dharak 2 right I.
Don't know. We spoke about it.
(05:45):
I remember speaking about it. Where?
I mean, Dharak 2 we are thought to be even.
Dharak 2 has this. Yeah, yeah, yeah it.
Was like a red out. So that these things are, this
is insane. Like it's literally like being
hostage, you know, like, 'cause you're like, oh, I'm waiting for
the movie. I paid for the ticket.
I'm sitting here, I'm not gonna leave right now.
The movie hasn't started and you're rigging out the
disclaimer. This is insane.
(06:06):
Like I want to literally fire warm the CBFC at this point.
I mean, I have no idea how this movie because we live in a
country where the government wants us to believe that the
pandemic didn't happen. And also what is about
essentially so disclaimer is like kind of whitewash what
actually happened. So disclaimer is features things
like saying the state government, the central
(06:26):
government did a great job. Like the movie believes that the
movie film makers say that the state because the government and
the government did a great job. We respect all the koruna
warriors, blah, blah, blah. And obviously the standards are
harmed. But like it's mostly about like
ensuring that it's almost like pre facing, you know, like pre
judging what is gonna movie The career.
But film makers believe that we did a great job.
(06:47):
I'm like, are you kidding? Me I wonder what annoyed them
the most like was it the COVID? Was it the the Muslim stuff or
was it like the cast of Because there is so much?
So in the police, the show police a lot beating people like
when the COVID stuff starts, they're trying to leave and
they're not allowed to leave. So the police is beating up.
If that's I'm sure would annoy them because that's like a
(07:09):
representation of the government.
It's the first time the government has come into the
picture because I try to apply for the police, but we don't
actually see the police except in one situation where they go
into a police station and he gets treated very badly.
Except that scene, there's no someone, no one in uniform until
the moment they come with lotties and start beating them
up as far I'm sure that scene would have like, oh them a lot,
which is why they preface it with like, no, no, no matter
(07:30):
what. You see, we did a great job.
I remember that they, like Anubhav Sinha's movie was so
badly butchered. Yeah, the one that we were.
That was so. Like and.
The trailer was pulled down likethey were seen.
The trailer we never saw in the movie.
Yeah, yeah. But this one was like some
miracle somebody got paid. Like, not only has it been
released, it has also been selected by a government body to
(07:53):
represent India. Yeah, at the Oscars.
That is just and. It's like, feels like almost
like marketing at some level right from like Dharma or
someone that they have timed therelease of the movie to like the
announcement of the Oscar nomination.
Which is why like even though like there is some level of like
bias here because I only had like 1 screening in the theatre
I went to, but it was full. Like it was full to the extent
of people in the first row. Like that's insane.
(08:15):
Like they're creating their necks to watch an indie movie by
Hirojeeva and like what is? Happening here.
That's very strange. A lot of very strange stuff
around this movie. Yeah, that's.
But anyway, like the movie itself, kind of.
I don't think enough people haveseen it still, even though there
are like pockets in which it is being watched.
It in an ideal society like thiswould be dominating any sort of
(08:40):
discussion about films. But I'd like even like despite
Kandara or whatever. Being it you're not even the
most popular like is Janhvi Kapoor movie in the same?
Way possible. Yeah, it's not even Yeah, it's
been sandwiched between two Janhi Kapoor movies in which
it's and and almost like it's the new 1 is almost like a
decoy, right. Yeah, we we put like a new one
(09:01):
Asian so that people just don't talk about homebound.
And which is like insane thing in the ways that Dharma has
released back-to-back weeks 2 Janhi Kapoor movies.
I'm like, what? What are you doing?
Like they were trying to bury the older.
One I do definitely, not definitely, but I like.
Wouldn't be surprised if they are deliberately trying to.
Show up at like the Oscars as well to like, you know,
(09:23):
obviously build his prestige forthe same time.
He also wants to like, ensure that the movie does not get
enough too much exposure domestically.
It's like games they're trying to play.
Like get prestige international but don't get overexposed.
Domestically, yeah, because like, what's even more
unbelievable is that it's been like a week or two, however
long, and there has been no controversy about this movie,
(09:46):
right? Otherwise you would imagine that
some idiot has watched some scene out of context or
whatever, or some clip has gone for the.
I'm surprised there's not one police officer across India who
has not been like, we didn't behave like that.
We, we help them so much. We we'd be more dead bodies.
How they do show us like that. Yeah, like, which is just like
(10:06):
both. It's like bittersweet, which
because like, not enough people have seen it.
That's sad. But also thankfully not the
wrong people haven't seen it, which is good.
I mean, I at this point, you know, a controversy might just
benefit the movie in the Oscars.You should come with like 2
circles around, I think in our like approach to what we want
(10:27):
from like Afghanistan, we're like, no, we want people to be
outraged now because so that people watch.
At least we Patata chalega OK, exist Karthi a movie.
This is like when Oppenheimer made, they had like a they had
like that weird. Yeah, they made it like that.
Jaya. There was a sex scene in which
somebody's reading the Gita and nobody's said anything about it.
No, they forget this side. They made an entire dress around
(10:50):
like Florence Blue, right Censor.
It yeah, but that's not the offensive part the offensive
part is people are having sex while.
Reading the an offensive in quote UN quote just to make sure
that no one is like, we're in that camp.
I mean they should ID but. If and well it's dropping in on
this episode has no context or long take and think like oh
wait, thinking that was offensive.
(11:12):
What is wrong with these people?Also, while watching this movie,
you know there are so many. I remember discussing this like,
not just in the 12th fail thing that we did, but also like over
the following months that how blind that movie is to the
issues that this film is so attuned to.
Yeah, yeah. Like everything that this movie
is seeing about the world aroundit, the people, how they live,
(11:34):
what they experience. You know, the only thing that
welfare was seen was the Garibi,right?
Nobody's asking why, Garibi, whyit?
Was glamorizing. That's what I spoke about,
right, Like, well, Phil was likeglamorizing his situation.
I was like, oh, like he's a Chucky guy and then putting
brown face on him. Everything like this is exactly
(11:55):
as it's like it's amazing how two film makers can have like
such different like way approaches would like be the
same thing. And it was Josie, like, oh,
wait, one guy actually knows what he's doing.
Both these characters in this movie are also going for a
government job, right? And they're going for a
government job for a reason, which is very similar to what
(12:16):
the Vikrant Massey guy was doingin that movie.
But here you kind of the the movie kind of unspools in a way
where you it's like these peoplearen't just like statistics,
right? It's like they're fully fledged,
just like characters who like, That's probably the full like.
They were saying that. They would like used to shot
doesn't really would have used to known even if the pandemic
(12:36):
hadn't happened. That movie show.
Misfortune upon misfortune odds are about.
Spending. They're not even.
Being kind of dealt. Of like what the 12th thing I
was dreaming like, you know, andthere's a bypass mentioned at
one point. If they're saying you can even
like maybe think all like UPSC and become like a Superintendent
or something. But like this aiming for like
constable, they're like they're happy with that.
(12:56):
They're like, oh, Jayat is like the world.
Yeah, yeah. Because I mean, it's, it's
almost impossible for some for like people like us to even.
And it's got. To be happening even today,
right? Which is like.
What is shown in this movie, right?
Even though you sure loved it? I mean, the experience is from
your own. It is happening.
(13:17):
That's the. Reality that it feels almost
like a cruel joke, like this can't be happening really,
right? And I mean, I would argue that
it's happening worse than beforebecause because you see, these
people are they are friends, right?
They became friends probably when they were much younger.
But clearly in the years that they've kind of grown up, the
(13:42):
society around them wouldn't allow the two of them to be
friends anymore. Because it's very clear that
factions have been formed, whichis we see in the cricket scene.
And it's almost as if Ishan Carter's character is it's, he
is getting angrier as he grows older because of all the
injustice. And the, the, the cricket match
(14:04):
scene is like really, really, really nicely done because of
how it's all about him, right? The camera is all is just
focused on him and his reaction to it's like a, it's like a
ticking time bomb almost. But then it's almost as if he's
he's had enough, and ever since he's kind of.
And that's just like the start of, like, what happens to him
(14:26):
right in the movie. It's not you.
Like, later when he gets the job, like he's questioned for
extra documents, His dad points it out to him.
Like, you know why they're asking us this?
And then just keep piling on those microaggressions.
And he can't do anything about it right.
Yeah, He can't do anything aboutit.
Eventually, just like he just rage quits.
He's like, I've had enough, you know?
Like, yeah. He thinks he's made it like he's
(14:48):
proved proved himself. He's stealed those unifiers and
ghost tells them gets them the best salesperson Day in History
of the company. And even then, nothing stopped,
right? Even then, a guy who praised him
the boss. Like it's still like laughing
with the joke. Yeah, it's cruel.
It's almost cruel, right? Because the movie makes you feel
(15:10):
as if finally something good might happen to this guy.
And then just when you were heaving a sigh of relief, it
kind of knocks you over the headwith no, this is not that movie.
This is not the fantasy or in the real world world.
This idea of a deal with. Yeah, and it's so that the
cricket match scene is so good because Sean Carter is so good
and I wasn't prepared for. And then the final scene on the
(15:32):
road, that was insane. Like I have no idea where that
came from. This is the guy who was in the
Royals like 3 months ago. Just goes to show like.
The reality and like forget three years ago, like 3 months
ago, but like the reality is that Johnny Kapoor is in this
movie in the same week as she's in a very different movie.
Yeah. And it's all about the
(15:53):
direction. It's all about the direction.
You can't even say the producers.
We can't even make that argumentanymore because this movie
exists. Somebody thought that it should
exist and put a decent amount ofmoney in it for whatever reason
for blatant Oscars attention. Who cares?
Doesn't matter, but every. Company does that you know like
(16:13):
the entire because like every big big studio does that to like
it will make all the superhero movies they want and then
they'll Co produce like indie movie on the side to get Oscar
nomination. So that's.
If you made a lot of, if you made a lot of money from Rocky
Rani and if you spend some of that money on this, then good.
Appreciate that. But yeah, it's a strange world.
(16:34):
Like there's only one Neeraj Khevan, right?
Because even Nagaraj Manjule, who does a lot of, he tackles a
lot of the similar themes in hismovies.
The flavor of those movies is very different because beyond
this then you're talking like real indie space which is like
micro budget stuff which is barely gets but like this is
mainstream and. Probably the only like, yeah,
(16:56):
he's probably the only, like, bridge sort of, right.
Like was able to straddle like the mainstream.
Like, he'd also do a Made in Heaven episodes to, like, keep
his, like, career and, like finances going.
And then when he actually, like,has a thing he wants to do, like
he's able to get, as you said, like, legal people on board to
like, finance this kind of thing.
Yeah. This is the closest probably
Hindi can come to a Malayalam movie, which is very routine for
(17:18):
Malayalam movies to talk about caste and operation and
government mismanagement, you know, and those movies are
cleared. Maybe my theory is because
they're watched by CBFC members from that region.
And very different process. Yeah, like I watched this movie
with Towino Thomas, recent Nari Vetta, I was called, I think.
(17:40):
And that movie is like, it's basically Santosh.
It's like about police brutalityfor like 45 minutes, about the
police literally murdering tribals.
And that movie exists. It's crazy.
It's it's so arbitrary. Won't even get like a release
anywhere. It will not get a release, I
mean, at least for a while. And when it does, it will just
(18:00):
be like, Oh yeah, five years later, you know?
No, it'll be on directly to streaming.
There's no way it's touching theaters.
But yeah, this is like it feels like a one off.
It still doesn't feel like all things are changing or they
might change. No, no, this is just, this is a
blip. In space-time.
Yeah, maybe we would just becomevery disillusioned and like,
(18:20):
disheartened by we. Have done this long enough to
hit the solutions event. Yeah, but I don't know what what
else we can say about it beyond like it's actually really good
also. I mean, I don't want to like not
skip over like you mentioned Sean Cutter is acting, but like
I just feel like even the other guy, Vishali Dwai, he is really.
(18:41):
Very good. Actually when you have an
unknown face, it helps more. Actually when you've not been
exposed to them before too much so then it helps you believe
into the character a lot faster than watching a known face.
Like Johnny Kapoor I think was the toughest for me because of
the kind of movie she's been in before that I was like, oh wait,
this person is too famous. I can't believe her.
(19:03):
This person. It took me like at least like
2-3 scenes with her to like finally forget that.
But like a face like was not been exposed to any of that
degree at all. Like he's just it's also
believable from of like East Tandon Kumar.
It's like the acting is really good in the movie.
I think what I love is it's likethe movies.
(19:24):
I love any understated movie, you know, which like doesn't
blow up things as in play like abackground music to like tell
you that or B or BA field. That's which again, always like
gave out direction at the color greeting.
It's all very So he's ever feelslike one universe.
It's thought out properly. Yeah.
(19:46):
It's just like very rare, as yousaid, to get movies like this
from India. So I'm glad you're getting
something like this. And then it's also getting
recognized and not like what happened to.
All we imagine is like Lance Stewart, which is like we sent
because someone lobbied for. It another surprising thing I
thought by watching this was normally some years ago, like 10
(20:06):
ish, 15 ish years ago when you'dhave a movie like this and you
sat through the credits, a lot of the department heads and crew
members would be like white people, You know, even if it is
like a Hindi movie, it would be like one of those Ritesh
background movies. You know where this one, it's
like literally the guy who edited it also edited the bags
(20:27):
of Bollywood in the same week. It's like fully homegrown movie.
You know, it's one of those things, right?
Because so you can make a good looking movie, so you can make a
movie that's that's so like rhythmic to watch.
Like the editing plays such a key role in this.
Which is why, like, it just tells you how much is coming
from top down, right? It's not like the people who are
(20:48):
the artists and the crew members, like don't know what
they're doing. It's that they're being told to
do things they don't want to do.And this.
Is a movie starring like famous people, like at least two of
them. They're really famous people.
And going back to that thing, right?
It's it's if you put them in a system that doesn't empower
them, we will never know what they're capable of.
(21:08):
If you make someone like Neeraj Ghiwan make just direct ads all
his life, like up to Colgate, what a way you know, And so many
people must be living like that.There's so many people,
thousands of people working in this business who only make ads
all their lives. Only make like dharmas like
(21:29):
regular stuff all the time, right?
Like they'll only make like a sunny sun scurry all the like
that's all making. So we never, we just feel like,
oh, they're terrible. They're terrible writers.
Maybe they're actually good, butthey're not allowed to even
attempt being that. And honestly, like in the
mainstream for this kind of because now it's been enough.
We've seen enough evidence of it, right?
(21:50):
We have seen like the terrible Dharma movies also, you have
seen Nadania, we have seen Sara Zameen and all that nonsense.
But then there has been enough evidence over the last few years
to suggest that there is at least one.
Like these guys are mindful, youknow, which isn't something that
you can say about. And I'm talking about like top
tier Bollywood, right? Like which is it's just like
(22:11):
terrible, terrible state right now.
So if there is even one like light at the end of the tunnel,
then we'll take it. And especially if it's something
as good as this, because it's like world class stuff, right?
That just has my sound. Back there, you know, I haven't,
I have no idea what's coming from the rest of the world.
That's the thing, right? I feel like this category at the
Oscars is probably the toughest of any because you're competing
(22:34):
against like one best frame of every country.
Like it's almost like insane level of stakes.
So yeah, like if you can just crack that, they have like,
that's insane. They have, they have Scorsese,
Yeah. He needs to just organize two or
three screenings in your. Yeah.
It's what, like Oscar says, you have to campaign for it.
You don't get a free pass. Yeah, this one like though
(22:55):
everything's lining up, which isgood.
We. Find out in a few months.
Because I haven't seen a better indie movie this year, or Indian
movie, right? At least so far.
No better note to end this sportcourse on that.
OK, that's all for this episode of The Long Take.
You can find us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Threads
and the Long Take part. You can write to us at the long
takepart@gmail.com. Please give us a rating and a
(23:15):
review. We'll never see episode and we
will see you next week. Thanks for listening.
Hi, I'm Akira. Now I'm going now.
Welcome to the long tank. This week, we're discussing the
new Native Jawan movie Homebound, which is inspired and
based on a news article by Rude Real Life Everything.
It stars Vishal Jaitwa, Shawn Cutter and Janhvi Kapoor.
Yeah. Oh, we are brilliant.
This was just, I mean high expectations and it lived up to
(00:37):
them. Yeah, Guy hasn't made like a
movie in what, 12-13, Fourteen years?
1010 for some years. Masan feels longer back.
I don't know why, but yeah. Yeah, the world has kind of
changed a lot in those ten years, yeah.
It's good to see that Gewan hasn't and he hasn't lost his
touch. Yeah, he did have practice with
a couple of like TV things or short deals like.
(01:01):
Short films and mostly TV episodes.
Yeah, yeah. We did like Kili Puchi a lot,
yeah. And.
And this is, this is, yeah, thisis thankfully, he hasn't
changed, you know, because, I mean, forget, like, losing your
touch in 10 years. But so much of the world and the
ecosystem in which he's making his movies has changed also.
(01:22):
Like, it's basically a miracle that this movie not only exists,
but it's been allowed to release, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I want to talk about like
that stuff later. Like I wonder because I was very
annoyed with like the disclaimerstuff up with it, which is like
just a whole culture now with like how our films are released
and then certified or like slashcensor.
(01:42):
But yeah, let's talk about the movie first.
Yeah, I mean, I sort of knew what this was about because of
the article, but I didn't know the structure that the story
would take. Yeah, because isn't.
Going in, I knew like COVID was gonna factor in, but like I had
no idea that it would factor in like what amounts like and are
more or more into the story. Like I think 80 minutes into
(02:04):
the. Story.
Yeah, it's basically the third act is post COVID and it almost
comes as a like, if people don'tknow, then it might even come as
a shock because the movie doesn't quite specify the era
when it begins, right. Because first, firstly, like
just the areas of India in whichthese characters live pretty
(02:26):
backward. So it's not very easy to kind of
gauge what era we are in. Yeah, I can't even.
Tell them a thing which I think is deliberate, right?
Like I can't tell specifically. Like I don't he he wants us to
figure out which kind of like village it is in.
It's like they they go to Surat and that they mention that Surat
say home is 100 kilometers away,but that could be in like any
direction. Yeah, although, I mean, their
(02:49):
language and dialect could be a clue.
But it's like, yeah, sure, Santosh, Santosh, in a way,
right where you're deliberately trying to mask.
Yeah, primarily to not offend politicians of that state.
Sure, and also to like as it works as a benefit that almost
like a film is applicable to any.
Region, everybody. Yeah, yeah.
Although in the opening, what I would credit, thank you.
(03:12):
There's a lot of Madhya Pradesh tourism stuff.
Yeah, yeah. That is a giveaway of at least
where they're shorter, but like that doesn't mean like short
there. He wants to represent that.
So I didn't. I later found out that the
version that I watched wasn't the theatrical gut.
OK. Like was longer or something?
A minute or so, OK. That's not too bad considering I
could have expected like 15 minutes in this kind.
(03:34):
Of movie No, no. Was there a scene in the movie,
The version that you watch, where these two are basically
walking home at this point? They've been dropped off by the
truck guy and they see like a government vehicle of some kind
drive past them and the vehicle does not stop.
(03:56):
We. Didn't have a government
vehicle. I think what we had was like a
private car. Was that the government vehicle
you're referring? To I think so.
There there was this one moment where Chandan is brave.
I think SUV like you know what type vehicle does drive past
them, but I don't know if that'sthe way you're referring.
To I think. I think it's the one I'm
referring to. So I sort of remember it as like
(04:16):
a government vehicle and that also had like a number plate or
something. Yeah.
It had a number plate in ours belt, but I just in my mind it
was like a private vehicle, likeof like people wouldn't storm
right, because they're always scared of like these people will
have corona or whatever. So like no one's gonna take
chances. So this is drove past is what I
thought of it. You know, never clicked to me
that it could be a government vehicle.
Yeah, go on. I don't know.
I just thought it was, I thoughtI saw like a butti on the roof
(04:41):
or something. Possible.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's also like it's evident that
the government is peeped off at some stage because like, I want
to try to avoid bringing this upuntil the end, but like of the
disclaimer, right? Like, Oh my God, like these
things are taking like an A lifeof their own.
No, which wasn't there in the one that I watched, so I have no
idea. So Theatrical 1 has like
disclaimers in English and Hindi.
(05:02):
They're on separate screens. They're not like on the same
screen, which is like a thing initself, but the bigger thing,
which like I literally I was like, I think I'm like in a cage
or something because the disclaimers are read out.
They're not just displayed. So they put in three paragraphs
on the screen and they read themout.
Like imagine sitting there for like 4550 seconds, someone's
reading out the entire disclaimer from word 1 to last
(05:25):
word. They don't skip a single word or
single sentence. Every word is read out, unlike a
reading level space of like you know that you would complement
without read like seeing it on screen so you could listen to
it. I'm like, Oh my God, how long is
this going to take? And then it finishes and then
they do it in Hindi and I'm like, are you kidding me?
Like this I. Would with another Dharma movie
right recently. Dharak 2 right I.
Don't know. We spoke about it.
(05:45):
I remember speaking about it. Where?
I mean, Dharak 2 we are thought to be even.
Dharak 2 has this. Yeah, yeah, yeah it.
Was like a red out. So that these things are, this
is insane. Like it's literally like being
hostage, you know, like, 'cause you're like, oh, I'm waiting for
the movie. I paid for the ticket.
I'm sitting here, I'm not gonna leave right now.
The movie hasn't started and you're rigging out the
disclaimer. This is insane.
(06:06):
Like I want to literally fire warm the CBFC at this point.
I mean, I have no idea how this movie because we live in a
country where the government wants us to believe that the
pandemic didn't happen. And also what is about
essentially so disclaimer is like kind of whitewash what
actually happened. So disclaimer is features things
like saying the state government, the central
(06:26):
government did a great job. Like the movie believes that the
movie film makers say that the state because the government and
the government did a great job. We respect all the koruna
warriors, blah, blah, blah. And obviously the standards are
harmed. But like it's mostly about like
ensuring that it's almost like pre facing, you know, like pre
judging what is gonna movie The career.
But film makers believe that we did a great job.
(06:47):
I'm like, are you kidding? Me I wonder what annoyed them
the most like was it the COVID? Was it the the Muslim stuff or
was it like the cast of Because there is so much?
So in the police, the show police a lot beating people like
when the COVID stuff starts, they're trying to leave and
they're not allowed to leave. So the police is beating up.
If that's I'm sure would annoy them because that's like a
(07:09):
representation of the government.
It's the first time the government has come into the
picture because I try to apply for the police, but we don't
actually see the police except in one situation where they go
into a police station and he gets treated very badly.
Except that scene, there's no someone, no one in uniform until
the moment they come with lotties and start beating them
up as far I'm sure that scene would have like, oh them a lot,
which is why they preface it with like, no, no, no matter
(07:30):
what. You see, we did a great job.
I remember that they, like Anubhav Sinha's movie was so
badly butchered. Yeah, the one that we were.
That was so. Like and.
The trailer was pulled down likethey were seen.
The trailer we never saw in the movie.
Yeah, yeah. But this one was like some
miracle somebody got paid. Like, not only has it been
released, it has also been selected by a government body to
(07:53):
represent India. Yeah, at the Oscars.
That is just and. It's like, feels like almost
like marketing at some level right from like Dharma or
someone that they have timed therelease of the movie to like the
announcement of the Oscar nomination.
Which is why like even though like there is some level of like
bias here because I only had like 1 screening in the theatre
I went to, but it was full. Like it was full to the extent
of people in the first row. Like that's insane.
(08:15):
Like they're creating their necks to watch an indie movie by
Hirojeeva and like what is? Happening here.
That's very strange. A lot of very strange stuff
around this movie. Yeah, that's.
But anyway, like the movie itself, kind of.
I don't think enough people haveseen it still, even though there
are like pockets in which it is being watched.
It in an ideal society like thiswould be dominating any sort of
(08:40):
discussion about films. But I'd like even like despite
Kandara or whatever. Being it you're not even the
most popular like is Janhvi Kapoor movie in the same?
Way possible. Yeah, it's not even Yeah, it's
been sandwiched between two Janhi Kapoor movies in which
it's and and almost like it's the new 1 is almost like a
decoy, right. Yeah, we we put like a new one
(09:01):
Asian so that people just don't talk about homebound.
And which is like insane thing in the ways that Dharma has
released back-to-back weeks 2 Janhi Kapoor movies.
I'm like, what? What are you doing?
Like they were trying to bury the older.
One I do definitely, not definitely, but I like.
Wouldn't be surprised if they are deliberately trying to.
Show up at like the Oscars as well to like, you know,
(09:23):
obviously build his prestige forthe same time.
He also wants to like, ensure that the movie does not get
enough too much exposure domestically.
It's like games they're trying to play.
Like get prestige international but don't get overexposed.
Domestically, yeah, because like, what's even more
unbelievable is that it's been like a week or two, however
long, and there has been no controversy about this movie,
(09:46):
right? Otherwise you would imagine that
some idiot has watched some scene out of context or
whatever, or some clip has gone for the.
I'm surprised there's not one police officer across India who
has not been like, we didn't behave like that.
We, we help them so much. We we'd be more dead bodies.
How they do show us like that. Yeah, like, which is just like
(10:06):
both. It's like bittersweet, which
because like, not enough people have seen it.
That's sad. But also thankfully not the
wrong people haven't seen it, which is good.
I mean, I at this point, you know, a controversy might just
benefit the movie in the Oscars.You should come with like 2
circles around, I think in our like approach to what we want
(10:27):
from like Afghanistan, we're like, no, we want people to be
outraged now because so that people watch.
At least we Patata chalega OK, exist Karthi a movie.
This is like when Oppenheimer made, they had like a they had
like that weird. Yeah, they made it like that.
Jaya. There was a sex scene in which
somebody's reading the Gita and nobody's said anything about it.
No, they forget this side. They made an entire dress around
(10:50):
like Florence Blue, right Censor.
It yeah, but that's not the offensive part the offensive
part is people are having sex while.
Reading the an offensive in quote UN quote just to make sure
that no one is like, we're in that camp.
I mean they should ID but. If and well it's dropping in on
this episode has no context or long take and think like oh
wait, thinking that was offensive.
(11:12):
What is wrong with these people?Also, while watching this movie,
you know there are so many. I remember discussing this like,
not just in the 12th fail thing that we did, but also like over
the following months that how blind that movie is to the
issues that this film is so attuned to.
Yeah, yeah. Like everything that this movie
is seeing about the world aroundit, the people, how they live,
(11:34):
what they experience. You know, the only thing that
welfare was seen was the Garibi,right?
Nobody's asking why, Garibi, whyit?
Was glamorizing. That's what I spoke about,
right, Like, well, Phil was likeglamorizing his situation.
I was like, oh, like he's a Chucky guy and then putting
brown face on him. Everything like this is exactly
(11:55):
as it's like it's amazing how two film makers can have like
such different like way approaches would like be the
same thing. And it was Josie, like, oh,
wait, one guy actually knows what he's doing.
Both these characters in this movie are also going for a
government job, right? And they're going for a
government job for a reason, which is very similar to what
(12:16):
the Vikrant Massey guy was doingin that movie.
But here you kind of the the movie kind of unspools in a way
where you it's like these peoplearen't just like statistics,
right? It's like they're fully fledged,
just like characters who like, That's probably the full like.
They were saying that. They would like used to shot
doesn't really would have used to known even if the pandemic
(12:36):
hadn't happened. That movie show.
Misfortune upon misfortune odds are about.
Spending. They're not even.
Being kind of dealt. Of like what the 12th thing I
was dreaming like, you know, andthere's a bypass mentioned at
one point. If they're saying you can even
like maybe think all like UPSC and become like a Superintendent
or something. But like this aiming for like
constable, they're like they're happy with that.
(12:56):
They're like, oh, Jayat is like the world.
Yeah, yeah. Because I mean, it's, it's
almost impossible for some for like people like us to even.
And it's got. To be happening even today,
right? Which is like.
What is shown in this movie, right?
Even though you sure loved it? I mean, the experience is from
your own. It is happening.
(13:17):
That's the. Reality that it feels almost
like a cruel joke, like this can't be happening really,
right? And I mean, I would argue that
it's happening worse than beforebecause because you see, these
people are they are friends, right?
They became friends probably when they were much younger.
But clearly in the years that they've kind of grown up, the
(13:42):
society around them wouldn't allow the two of them to be
friends anymore. Because it's very clear that
factions have been formed, whichis we see in the cricket scene.
And it's almost as if Ishan Carter's character is it's, he
is getting angrier as he grows older because of all the
injustice. And the, the, the cricket match
(14:04):
scene is like really, really, really nicely done because of
how it's all about him, right? The camera is all is just
focused on him and his reaction to it's like a, it's like a
ticking time bomb almost. But then it's almost as if he's
he's had enough, and ever since he's kind of.
And that's just like the start of, like, what happens to him
(14:26):
right in the movie. It's not you.
Like, later when he gets the job, like he's questioned for
extra documents, His dad points it out to him.
Like, you know why they're asking us this?
And then just keep piling on those microaggressions.
And he can't do anything about it right.
Yeah, He can't do anything aboutit.
Eventually, just like he just rage quits.
He's like, I've had enough, you know?
Like, yeah. He thinks he's made it like he's
(14:48):
proved proved himself. He's stealed those unifiers and
ghost tells them gets them the best salesperson Day in History
of the company. And even then, nothing stopped,
right? Even then, a guy who praised him
the boss. Like it's still like laughing
with the joke. Yeah, it's cruel.
It's almost cruel, right? Because the movie makes you feel
(15:10):
as if finally something good might happen to this guy.
And then just when you were heaving a sigh of relief, it
kind of knocks you over the headwith no, this is not that movie.
This is not the fantasy or in the real world world.
This idea of a deal with. Yeah, and it's so that the
cricket match scene is so good because Sean Carter is so good
and I wasn't prepared for. And then the final scene on the
(15:32):
road, that was insane. Like I have no idea where that
came from. This is the guy who was in the
Royals like 3 months ago. Just goes to show like.
The reality and like forget three years ago, like 3 months
ago, but like the reality is that Johnny Kapoor is in this
movie in the same week as she's in a very different movie.
Yeah. And it's all about the
(15:53):
direction. It's all about the direction.
You can't even say the producers.
We can't even make that argumentanymore because this movie
exists. Somebody thought that it should
exist and put a decent amount ofmoney in it for whatever reason
for blatant Oscars attention. Who cares?
Doesn't matter, but every. Company does that you know like
(16:13):
the entire because like every big big studio does that to like
it will make all the superhero movies they want and then
they'll Co produce like indie movie on the side to get Oscar
nomination. So that's.
If you made a lot of, if you made a lot of money from Rocky
Rani and if you spend some of that money on this, then good.
Appreciate that. But yeah, it's a strange world.
(16:34):
Like there's only one Neeraj Khevan, right?
Because even Nagaraj Manjule, who does a lot of, he tackles a
lot of the similar themes in hismovies.
The flavor of those movies is very different because beyond
this then you're talking like real indie space which is like
micro budget stuff which is barely gets but like this is
mainstream and. Probably the only like, yeah,
(16:56):
he's probably the only, like, bridge sort of, right.
Like was able to straddle like the mainstream.
Like, he'd also do a Made in Heaven episodes to, like, keep
his, like, career and, like finances going.
And then when he actually, like,has a thing he wants to do, like
he's able to get, as you said, like, legal people on board to
like, finance this kind of thing.
Yeah. This is the closest probably
Hindi can come to a Malayalam movie, which is very routine for
(17:18):
Malayalam movies to talk about caste and operation and
government mismanagement, you know, and those movies are
cleared. Maybe my theory is because
they're watched by CBFC members from that region.
And very different process. Yeah, like I watched this movie
with Towino Thomas, recent Nari Vetta, I was called, I think.
(17:40):
And that movie is like, it's basically Santosh.
It's like about police brutalityfor like 45 minutes, about the
police literally murdering tribals.
And that movie exists. It's crazy.
It's it's so arbitrary. Won't even get like a release
anywhere. It will not get a release, I
mean, at least for a while. And when it does, it will just
(18:00):
be like, Oh yeah, five years later, you know?
No, it'll be on directly to streaming.
There's no way it's touching theaters.
But yeah, this is like it feels like a one off.
It still doesn't feel like all things are changing or they
might change. No, no, this is just, this is a
blip. In space-time.
Yeah, maybe we would just becomevery disillusioned and like,
(18:20):
disheartened by we. Have done this long enough to
hit the solutions event. Yeah, but I don't know what what
else we can say about it beyond like it's actually really good
also. I mean, I don't want to like not
skip over like you mentioned Sean Cutter is acting, but like
I just feel like even the other guy, Vishali Dwai, he is really.
(18:41):
Very good. Actually when you have an
unknown face, it helps more. Actually when you've not been
exposed to them before too much so then it helps you believe
into the character a lot faster than watching a known face.
Like Johnny Kapoor I think was the toughest for me because of
the kind of movie she's been in before that I was like, oh wait,
this person is too famous. I can't believe her.
(19:03):
This person. It took me like at least like
2-3 scenes with her to like finally forget that.
But like a face like was not been exposed to any of that
degree at all. Like he's just it's also
believable from of like East Tandon Kumar.
It's like the acting is really good in the movie.
I think what I love is it's likethe movies.
(19:24):
I love any understated movie, you know, which like doesn't
blow up things as in play like abackground music to like tell
you that or B or BA field. That's which again, always like
gave out direction at the color greeting.
It's all very So he's ever feelslike one universe.
It's thought out properly. Yeah.
(19:46):
It's just like very rare, as yousaid, to get movies like this
from India. So I'm glad you're getting
something like this. And then it's also getting
recognized and not like what happened to.
All we imagine is like Lance Stewart, which is like we sent
because someone lobbied for. It another surprising thing I
thought by watching this was normally some years ago, like 10
(20:06):
ish, 15 ish years ago when you'dhave a movie like this and you
sat through the credits, a lot of the department heads and crew
members would be like white people, You know, even if it is
like a Hindi movie, it would be like one of those Ritesh
background movies. You know where this one, it's
like literally the guy who edited it also edited the bags
(20:27):
of Bollywood in the same week. It's like fully homegrown movie.
You know, it's one of those things, right?
Because so you can make a good looking movie, so you can make a
movie that's that's so like rhythmic to watch.
Like the editing plays such a key role in this.
Which is why, like, it just tells you how much is coming
from top down, right? It's not like the people who are
(20:48):
the artists and the crew members, like don't know what
they're doing. It's that they're being told to
do things they don't want to do.And this.
Is a movie starring like famous people, like at least two of
them. They're really famous people.
And going back to that thing, right?
It's it's if you put them in a system that doesn't empower
them, we will never know what they're capable of.
(21:08):
If you make someone like Neeraj Ghiwan make just direct ads all
his life, like up to Colgate, what a way you know, And so many
people must be living like that.There's so many people,
thousands of people working in this business who only make ads
all their lives. Only make like dharmas like
(21:29):
regular stuff all the time, right?
Like they'll only make like a sunny sun scurry all the like
that's all making. So we never, we just feel like,
oh, they're terrible. They're terrible writers.
Maybe they're actually good, butthey're not allowed to even
attempt being that. And honestly, like in the
mainstream for this kind of because now it's been enough.
We've seen enough evidence of it, right?
(21:50):
We have seen like the terrible Dharma movies also, you have
seen Nadania, we have seen Sara Zameen and all that nonsense.
But then there has been enough evidence over the last few years
to suggest that there is at least one.
Like these guys are mindful, youknow, which isn't something that
you can say about. And I'm talking about like top
tier Bollywood, right? Like which is it's just like
(22:11):
terrible, terrible state right now.
So if there is even one like light at the end of the tunnel,
then we'll take it. And especially if it's something
as good as this, because it's like world class stuff, right?
That just has my sound. Back there, you know, I haven't,
I have no idea what's coming from the rest of the world.
That's the thing, right? I feel like this category at the
Oscars is probably the toughest of any because you're competing
(22:34):
against like one best frame of every country.
Like it's almost like insane level of stakes.
So yeah, like if you can just crack that, they have like,
that's insane. They have, they have Scorsese,
Yeah. He needs to just organize two or
three screenings in your. Yeah.
It's what, like Oscar says, you have to campaign for it.
You don't get a free pass. Yeah, this one like though
(22:55):
everything's lining up, which isgood.
We. Find out in a few months.
Because I haven't seen a better indie movie this year, or Indian
movie, right? At least so far.
No better note to end this sportcourse on that.
OK, that's all for this episode of The Long Take.
You can find us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Threads
and the Long Take part. You can write to us at the long
takepart@gmail.com. Please give us a rating and a
(23:15):
review. We'll never see episode and we
will see you next week. Thanks for listening.
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