Days after getting shortlisted for a nomination in Oscars 2026, Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial Homebound gets accused of plagiarism as author and journalist Puja Changoiwala takes legal action against Adar Poonawalla and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP. Here's everything we know about the copyright infringement case against Homebound.
Karan Johar and Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ gets accused of plagiarism by author Puja ChangoiwalaView this post on Instagram
Credit: Dharma Productions
Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Homebound has landed in a legal soup days after getting shortlisted for Oscars 2026. Author Puja Changoiwala, who penned a book named Homebound in 2021, recently alleged that the film has infringed upon her book.
The production house, however, claims that Homebound is inspired by an article in New York Times written by Basharat Peer.
She said that makers not only lifted the title of her book but also reproduced substantial content. Puja told Hindustan Times that Karan Johar’s Dharma received a legal notice from her lawyer regarding the alleged infringement before she approached the Bombay High Court. She also alleged that the film was scripted in 2022, well after her 2021 novel had been published.
Puja added, “The subject of both her novel and the film is the COVID-19 migrant exodus of 2020. Upon watching the film, I discovered that the producers have not only misappropriated the title of my book but have also blatantly reproduced substantial portions of my novel in the second half of the film, including its scenes, dialogue, narrative structure, sequence of events, and other creative expressions.”
Credit: Amazon
After the production house received the legal notice including a detailed account of their infringement of her rights, the author said that they producers refused to acknowledge the violation in their responses.
Puja has now initiated legal action against Dharma and Netflix by filing a mediation application before the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015.
Puja seeks multiple remedies in court, including a permanent injunction against Homebound’s distribution, changing the movie’s title, removing the copied scenes and damages for alleged infringement of her copyright.
She told HT, “I know I’m challenging powerful entities by taking this step, but I believe it’s important for writers to defend their work when it's misappropriated and exploited without their consent.” Dharma Productions has not commented yet on the allegations made by Puja.
Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound was selected as India's entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. in January, we will find out if the movie makes the final cut for the Oscar nominations. The critically-acclaimed movie, which also had a screening at Cannes, is set against the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdown. It follows two young men living in a remote village, trying to obtain government jobs to earn the respect that they have been deprived of.
Social and lead images credits: Dharma Productions
