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Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor’s much-anticipated drama Homebound finally hit cinema screens on Friday September 26. While the film carries the prestige of being India’s official entry for the Oscars it surprisingly received a limited theatrical release. Early response from audiences was underwhelming. Though those who watched it appreciated Karan Johar’s effort the limited turnout raised concerns about the film’s accessibility and visibility in India. Film critic and journalist Ramachandran Srinivasan shared his perspective with IANS When you say a film like Homebound is one hour and four minutes long and after censorship you are left with just about one hour and two minutes the question arises why would I spend the same amount of money watching such a film when I could watch a full-fledged entertainer in theatres? That’s possibly one of the major reasons why Homebound was not widely welcomed at home. Was there enough awareness about the film? A significant factor according to Ramachandran was the lack of promotional momentum. Multiplexes which are the primary target for a film like this need programmers who allocate screens based on buzz and box office performance. The collections weren’t strong around seventy-five lakhs in early shows which made programmers hesitant. They’d rather back a film that fills theatres than one that has just a handful of viewers he explained. This highlights the delicate balance between critical acclaim and commercial viability where even Oscar recognition may not guarantee a robust theatrical run if audience awareness is low. Why didn’t Homebound replicate Lunchbox’s success? Lunchbox became a global sensation despite having no big stars prompting comparisons with Homebound. Ramachandran clarified the difference: Lunchbox did well in both India and abroad. However Homebound has performed weaker internationally than domestically. That’s possibly why it has not lived up to expectations both at home and outside. He further added Every film has its own destiny. The real challenge is awareness when audiences don’t even know a film is releasing amidst so many web shows and movies how will they come to theatres? While Homebound struggles with reach and box office numbers its Oscar selection and niche audience appreciation indicate it still holds artistic value. Experts stress that limited screen allocation short runtime and competition from other content platforms have played major roles in its muted response. Highlights: Homebound had limited theatre screens despite being India’s official Oscar entry. Short runtime and low awareness contributed to weak box office performance. Critics note the challenge of competing with web content and mainstream entertainers.
