How did Martin Scorsese’s ‘bang on’ advice help Neeraj Ghaywan with Homebound’s screenplay? Find out

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Neeraj Ghaywan‘s debut movie, Masaan, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. A decade later, he returned to this esteemed festival with Homebound, a project that also includes Martin Scorsese as an executive producer in its title. Recently, Ghaywan spoke about how the seasoned Hollywood director’s insightful advice significantly influenced the screenplay for Homebound.

In a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter India, filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan discussed his partnership with Martin Scorsese on their upcoming project Homebound. He revealed that Scorsese provided him extensive feedback via email. “Since he was initially involved in the script development,” he explained, “he suggested I remove a significant amount of background details.

Ghaywan confessed that crafting his initial full-length screenplay was somewhat daunting due to the wealth of ideas he felt compelled to convey. He disclosed that Scorsese also suggested pruning certain storylines to prevent them from detracting from the primary narrative. “Those suggestions proved spot-on,” he continued, “as they allowed me to shape the screenplay more effectively.

Neeraj Ghaywan shared that during editing, Martin Scorsese offered valuable guidance on making the movie more concise and focused. This advice, coming from a film legend like Scorsese, made it hard for Ghaywan to believe that he was discussing his own film. Nevertheless, Ghaywan was overjoyed about this collaboration. He also expressed that, similar to producer Karan Johar, he was yet to fully grasp the impact of this experience.

Previously, Homebound’s creators shared a statement by Martin Scorsese where he talked about joining the project. In his own words, “I watched Neeraj’s debut film Masaan in 2015 and was captivated. When Mélita Toscan du Plantier presented me with the project for his second film, my curiosity was piqued. I admired the narrative, the cultural aspects, and felt compelled to assist. Neeraj has skillfully created a remarkable film that adds depth to Indian cinema. I’m thrilled that this movie is part of the Un Certain Regard section in Cannes this year.

Homebound stars Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, and Vishal Jethwa in pivotal roles.

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2025-05-23 08:07