Movies that are made to nourish the soul might not necessarily feed the tummy, which eventually propelled the gradual washout of the theatres. Art alone cannot ensure its survival—what matters is whether it is bankable and can generate profits. Typically, a spectacular film like Homebound became a victim of. Released on 26th September, the film received immense love worldwide. However, it failed at the box office in India.
Earlier in an interview, Karan Johar noted that he might not make films like Homebound anymore. Karan Johar has been known for his balance between heart and hustle, precisely what you can feel watching the kind of movies that he has made. But he did find himself in the tightrope following the comment. Later, the director took to his social media, to clarify that his remarks were not a disavowal of Homebound, but a cold reckoning with the unsentimental economics of cinema. In a space where ticket sales dictate the future of storytelling, even a film that bleeds truth and breathes empathy must justify its presence at the box office.
Johar, despite knowing the uncertainty the film might manifest at the box office, backed the film. But he also voiced what many are unwilling to: that creative courage, no matter how profound, is unsustainable without commercial viability. To punish that honesty is to ignore the brutal calculus of filmmaking in a time when algorithms often choose the winner. The industry celebrates art only when it sells; anything else, no matter how critically lauded, is reduced to a cautionary tale.
Homebound deserved more—more theatres, more voices championing it, more screens daring to show it. Instead, it became a case study in how even the most powerful producers are held hostage by systems that reward familiarity and fear risk.
This also traces us to Richa Chadha’s tweet, where she noted, “the film got so many shows, precisely because the producer had clout. I think we had fewer shows for Masaan. Each screen, each KDM costs money. Each show costs money. Exhibitors weigh that against literally the number of ppl in the hall that buy samosas.” She then added, “And fewer ppl go because the ticket prices are so high…single screens with affordable pricing have vanished over time. The Producer sits with losses for the film LONG after the awards are over won, actors gain markets and credibility and every one moves on. So what’s killing independent films? exorbitant ticket prices, the P and A bottleneck, fewer screens, monopoly of a couple of ppl on the Screens,” as quoted by Men XP.
Karan Johar’s stance is not a retreat from artistic integrity, but a call for a more evolved ecosystem—one that allows films like Homebound to breathe, not beg for survival. Until then, soul-stirring cinema will remain a luxury in a market that demands soul-selling spectacle.
