Neeraj Ghaywan breaks silence on reports of paying only Rs 10,000 compensation to Homebound family: 'Please do not mistake this for the full extent of the...'

Homebound director Neeraj Ghaywan has finally reacted to reports claiming that he paid only Rs 10,000 as compensation to the family whose life inspired his latest release. While Homebound has been shortlisted as India’s official Oscar entry, Ghaywan has set the record straight by stating his social media handles.

The filmmaker shared that Rs 10,000 was a small token amount he had personally given to Amrit’s father, Ram Charan, during his initial years of research. “Some of you have expressed concerns about reports claiming that the family whose life inspired ‘Homebound’ was compensated with a mere Rs 10,000, a shamefully low amount. I want to clarify that this sum was a small token I personally gave to Ram Charan ji (Amrit’s father) many years ago during my initial research, simply as a parting gesture (sic),” he wrote on X.

“Please do not mistake this for the full extent of the compensation provided. Neither I, nor the producers would ever reduce such a deeply personal story to such a pittance. The families’ contributions are invaluable and deeply meaningful to me. We have honored their trust and stories with sincere respect and significant support. They have expressed their happiness with me about the same and I personally don’t want to mention the number because that would disrespect the bond I share with Amrit and Saiyub—the original heroes of ‘Homebound’ (sic),” the post added.

Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor starrer ‘ Homebound ’ is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer’s article ‘Taking Amrit Home’ (also titled ‘A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway’).

It is bankrolled by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, with Martin Scorsese serving as executive producer.