Bengali co-author of Oscar-shortlisted film looks forward to meeting Scorsese
Times of India | 18 December 2025
Kolkata: Following the shortlisting of Neeraj Ghaywan's ‘Homebound' in the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, the Bengali script writer who co-authored the story, Sumit Roy, is celebrating with a bowl of ‘mishti doi'. Eagerly anticipating a meeting with director Martin Scorsese, the film's executive producer and mentor, he plans to ask if Scorsese noticed the influence of Satyajit Ray in the film.
In Sept, ‘Homebound' was announced in Kolkata as the Indian entry by director and producer N Chandra, who was the chairman of the 14-member selection committee set up by the Film Federation of India (FFI). The film stood out among 24 submissions from various regions and languages across India.
On Tuesday, Roy was torn about indulging in a bowl of mishti doi before drifting off to sleep, forgetting that the shortlist announcement was due that night. "When I woke up at 6 am to a flood of congratulatory messages on my phone, I realised we made it. I figured I deserved that mishti doi and enjoyed it for breakfast," he shared.
"Scorsese was unwell and couldn't attend Cannes when we were there. Neeraj, Somen (Mishra), Ishaan (Khatter), and Vishal (Jethwa) met him in New York. He sent voice notes on the script that were incredibly sharp and insightful. At his suggestion, we removed an entire romantic subplot for Ishaan's character. His feedback was spot-on and helped keep the film focused," Roy explained.
Roy hopes to ask Scorsese if he noticed any Satyajit Ray influences in ‘Homebound'. "I know he's a fan of Ray, and we tried to capture some of the same humanism," Roy said. He highlighted Ray's "amazing ability to depict poverty while ensuring characters never lost their dignity or sensitivity". Roy cited ‘Pather Panchali', noting how Ray portrayed characters with depth and pride, like Sarbajaya, who refused help despite dire circumstances. "We wanted to hold onto that in ‘Homebound'. These boys are poor but have great self-respect and sense of dignity," Roy explained, referencing a scene where Ishaan's character quits his job after being insulted despite the fact that he really needs it.
"When he is insulted by the communal slurs, his pride and dignity are hurt. In my mind, I always thought that's his Sarbajaya moment," he added.
Yet, there are some who said the two halves of the film seem to focus on two different issues. Addressing critiques about the film's structure, Roy said, "The film was based on a NY Times story about the Covid migration. But I told Neeraj we need to know who these boys are as people... So they don't just seem like statistics but full-blown human beings." He acknowledged the two halves might feel different but emphasised the importance of connecting the audience to the characters before delving into the tragedy.
"So we were always doing our best to bring the characters alive and keep the audience connected to them — before we got to the tragedy of the Covid migration. That's why the two halves might feel different," he said.
Regarding the Oscars, Roy said, "The foreign film Oscar is the hardest category because you're competing against 90 or so of the best films from all over the world. There are films I am a fan of in that line-up — to stand next to those tremendous films and be acknowledged is an honour as a writer."