'Homebound' doesn't trivialize male friendships, says Ishaan Khatter
20 Dec 2025

Ishaan Khatter, the lead actor in Homebound, recently spoke about the film's portrayal of male friendships.

During a recent discussion at Zoom's Best Performance Male 2025 roundtable, he said that the film respectfully depicts male friendships without trivializing them.

The movie has been shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

'Haven't seen a story about friendship like this in years'
Khatter's insights

Khatter praised director Neeraj Ghaywan for his vision in bringing the friendship between the male leads to life.

He said, "The first thing is that even we are realizing retrospectively that we haven't seen a story about friendship like this in years."

"A story that doesn't trivialize male friendship. Even in jokes or laughter, it doesn't fizzle out."

"You stay with the uncomfortable moments, with the vulnerable moments."

'It's a deep friendship, literally a life-in-death...'
Emotional depth

Khatter further explained, "It's a deep friendship, literally a life-in-death kind of bond. Such a deep friendship hasn't been seen on screen in a long time."

He added that this unique portrayal of male bonding is why many men were moved to tears while watching the film.

"And it's not a sad cry, it's a cathartic cry," he explained.

Adarsh Gourav, who was part of the roundtable, also praised the film's emotional depth.

Meanwhile, Homebound is streaming on Netflix.