Shah Rukh Khan calls Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound 'gentle and soulful'

On Wednesday, Shah Rukh Khan took to social media to praise Homebound. He wrote on X, “Homebound is gentle, honest and soulful. Lots of love and big hugs to the phenomenal team for creating something so human and engaging. You have won hearts world over by making something truly special.”

Responding to his post, Neeraj wrote, “Thank you, iamsrk! This means the world to me!!” He further quoted a line from Shah Rukh’s Swades: “Apne hi paani mein pighal jaana barf ka muqaddar hota hai.”

Homebound Plot

Homebound follows childhood friends Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), whose shared dream of joining the police force shapes their lives. Janhvi Kapoor adds emotional depth to a story rooted in friendship, duty, and the challenges faced by young India.
Neeraj Ghaywan describes the film as “inspired by a true story of friendship” and an exploration of “connection and compassion as forms of quiet resistance.”

Neeraj Ghaywan recently revealed that he changed the film’s ending from what happened in real life. Responding to a user on X, he explained:

“In real life, crueler things happened to the actual people. Mohammed Saiyub left for Dubai and did not take up education as shown in the film — a privilege many don’t recognise. Amrit’s rotting body was allowed to be transported only after three days, when the Covid test came back negative.”

Explaining why he didn’t stick to the original ending, he said, “I believe in empathy and hope, and that’s why the ending differs from actual events. But I couldn’t stray too far from their lived reality. It would have been a disservice to hundreds of Saiyubs (Shoaib) and Amrits (Chandan), and to Basharat Peer’s original story. Hope can’t be manufactured to assuage our urban guilt, in my opinion.”