Hindi film whose story is co-written by a Bengali scriptwriter to premiere at Cannes
Times of India | 13 April 2025
123456 Kolkata: In May 1954, Bimal Roy's ‘Do Bigha Zamin' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The cinematic masterpiece, whose story was penned by Salil Chowdhury, garnered the prestigious Prix International at Cannes. It was the first Indian film based on a story written by a Bengali that went to Cannes. In May 2025, another Indian cinematic endeavour co-written by a Bengali scriptwriter secured an official selection for the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Neeraj Ghaywan's ‘Homebound', whose story is co-written by Sumit Roy, will be exhibited in the ‘Un Certain Regard' section – a category renowned for showcasing artistic cinema from across the globe.
Born and raised in Delhi with experience in making documentaries, corporate films, and academic writing, Roy directed a short film on his mobile phone titled ‘Dancing Queen' that garnered recognition at various international festivals approximately 15 years ago. A relocation to Mumbai led him to India's first screenwriting lab before he commenced writing television serials like ‘Chandragupta Maurya'. Covid disrupted plans, and Karan Johar's ‘Takht', which he wrote, was delayed. However, his other collaborative writing ventures — ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' and ‘Gehraiyaan' — emerged as huge successes in recent times.
The selection of ‘Homebound' at Cannes, which will be held between May 13 and 24, holds particular significance for Roy as it represents the ‘temple of cinema in the world". He acknowledges the perspective that questions the Western gaze and their authority to determine cinematic excellence. He underlines that Cannes cherishes and venerates cinema so profoundly that a jury selection for a film he contributed to feels extraordinarily special. "It's an immense honour to follow in the footsteps of distinguished Indian filmmakers whose films have gone to Cannes," he said.
Roy takes pride in his Bengali roots, underlining that he grew up idolising films by Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen – legends whose films have been Cannes favourites. Ghaywan's Hindi film, backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, features Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles. "It is an emotional story about friendship," Roy said. In his perspective, this emphasis on humanism in ‘Homebound' connects it to the films of Bengal's masters at Cannes. "Being a Bengali, great cinema has been in my blood. I recently watched Sen's ‘Interview' and realised its international and avant-garde nature. You can show it to an audience today, and they'll still be astounded by its metaness," he elaborated.
According to him, it proves detrimental to an industry's health when a scriptwriter, present from a project's inception, gets sidelined. "Ray was an evolved and fantastic writer with remarkable clarity of thought. One of my favourite Ray films is ‘Mahanagar', and its writing prowess still astonishes me. Generally, circumstances have improved in Bollywood. A writer must create without any certainty of the film's materialisation. I consistently maintain that if the scriptwriter fails to deliver, nobody else has a role on the sets. Writers require protection and recognition as writing is an arduous process," he said.