Two films, two completely different worlds, yet both are forcing us to look at India’s fault lines, one through a stark, bleeding-edge realism, the other through a gorgeous, unsettling dreamscape. Neeraj Ghaywan’s Oscar entry, Homebound (⭐⭐⭐⭐/5), has everyone reaching for tissues, while Raam Reddy’s Jugnuma: The Fable (⭐⭐⭐.5/5) has cinephiles whispering about magic realism and Manoj Bajpayee’s wings. If you’re trying to decide which one to dive into this weekend, here’s the breakdown on the mood and the message of both films: a raw, resonant punch to the gut versus a hypnotic dream you can’t explain.
Ghaywan’s Homebound is cinema that doesn’t just ask you to watch; it forces you to feel. The vibe is relentlessly real, its colors are muted, the roads are dusty, and the silence is often louder than any dialogue. The story hook uses the real-life tragedy of the 2020 lockdown migrant crisis, giving it soul through the journey of two childhood friends, Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) and Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter). Their simple dream is to join the police force for the “dignity” it promises, but their Dalit and Muslim identities, respectively, are a constant, invisible threat. It’s a film that smells like the soil of rural India, fear, and a burning, desperate ambition, and is a must-see.
The reason Homebound is trending and receiving such high praise lies in Ghaywan’s unflinching truth: he simply holds up a mirror to the casual, systemic cruelty of caste and religious prejudice without moralizing. The scenes where Chandan hesitates to tick the SC/ST box, or Shoaib faces subtle, daily suspicion, they’re a masterclass in nuanced social commentary, proving that it’s the micro-aggression that hits hardest. The performances are equally shattering. Vishal Jethwa as the quietly furious Chandan is a revelation, internalizing the shame and the fight, while Ishaan Khatter, in his arguably career-best role, brings a raw, resilient intensity to Shoaib. These two are the emotional core, and their camaraderie is the fragile, beautiful heart the world is trying to break. If you loved the emotional depth and craft of Masaan, Homebound is the mature, urgent successor; watch it, but bring a box of tissues, as it offers only profound empathy and a lot of lingering, righteous anger.
In stark atmospheric contrast, Jugnuma: The Fable is surreal, meditative, and hauntingly beautiful. Picture a lush Himalayan estate in 1989, shot on 16mm film so it looks like a half-remembered memory, featuring a man who literally wears wings, and unexplained fires consuming his apple orchard. The story hook follows Dev (Manoj Bajpayee), the patrician owner of the sprawling orchard estate built on what was once colonial privilege, who watches his empire literally go up in smoke. Director Raam Reddy (of Thithi fame) crafts an experience that feels closer to a European art film, where the narrative is less a story and more an atmospheric allegory, creating a slow burn that demands your surrender to its mesmerizing artistic vision.
Jugnuma is a must-see for cinephiles precisely because it’s intellectual cinema at its peak, using myth and metaphor as a critique of ownership, class divide, and man’s fragile control over nature. The burning fireflies (Jugnuma in Hindi) become a signal, a warning from the earth, suggesting the land remembers its true owners. Manoj Bajpayee is brilliant as Dev, embodying a quiet moral ambivalence, with his fear and inner conflict playing out in the restraint of his body language, making his performance as unsettling as the plot.
Should you watch it? Only if you enjoy films that leave you with more questions than answers; if you need clear-cut narrative or fast-paced entertainment, this will feel “pretentious” and “vague,” as some online reviews suggest, but if you love ambiguity and gorgeous, symbolic cinema, lean in and accept the hypnotic dream.
Ultimately, the choice between the films is less about quality and more about the type of conversation one seeks. Homebound is an essential, necessary piece of social commentary that demands action, forcing the viewer to confront contemporary India’s most brutal, persistent flaws. It leaves you furious, heartbroken, and compelled to engage with its reality. Jugnuma, on the other hand, is a cerebral, philosophical puzzle that uses fantasy to comment on historical and environmental truths. It leaves you puzzled, visually haunted, and questioning the very nature of what is real. Together, these two films prove that Indian cinema is powerfully equipped to dissect both the harsh, documented reality and the mysterious, allegorical soul of the nation!
