It’s been a few days since the country’s most talked-about film hit the screens. Naturally, leading man Vishal Jethwa is still absorbing the wave of love and acclaim for Homebound — India’s official entry to the Oscars. When we get on a call with him, he starts with, “Everyone is talking about the film, and the fact that it’s officially entered for the Oscars,” he says. “Usually, when a film is selected, there’s some debate — people ask, ‘Why this film? Why not another with a better story or performance?’ But this time, I’ve only heard appreciation. That makes me so happy.”

For Jethwa — who had blink-and-miss roles opposite Irrfan Khan in Hindi Medium (2017) and in the Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3 (2023), then played the antagonist in Mardaani 2 (2019), and a patient suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Salaam Venky (2022) — the journey to this moment is not lost on him. Recalling his first big-screen appearances, he says, “I did a role of a tea vendor in Hindi Medium, a 30 to 40-second character with Irrfan sir. I’m glad I at least got to share that much screen time with him.” Now, people are hailing his act as the moving performance of the year. “Someone told me I’m the next Irrfan Khan,” he says, almost incredulous. “I felt very strange. I couldn’t accept it at all.”