Melbourne [Australia], August 16 (ANI): It’s a time of celebration for the ‘Homebound’ team as the film won two big awards at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025.
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor. It is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra under the banner of Dharma Productions.
‘Homebound’ has been honoured with the Best Film Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Apart from that, Neeraj Ghaywan also won the Best Director award for Homebound.
Karan Johar celebrated the victory of ‘Homebound’ at the film festivals. Taking to his Instagram stories, he wrote, “Our first WIN! Will always be special #homebound.”
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 hosted its annual Awards Night, celebrating the best in cinema.
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan was honoured with the prestigious Excellence in Cinema Award, recognising his decades-long contribution to the craft and his unmatched influence on the industry. On the other hand, Arvind Swami earned the Leadership in Cinema accolade, as per the press release.
He said in a statement, “I have been attracted to telling stories from a very young age. Filmmaking is a collaborative art and this award and recognition wouldn’t have been possible without my writers, directors, co-stars, and the audiences who have given me the opportunity to tell the stories and be part of the many stories i have been part of”.
Abhishek Bachchan and Geetha Kailasam won the Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) categories for their performances in ‘I Want To Talk’ and ‘Angammal’, respectively.
” Life has come a full circle for me. I came here in 2022 where i was feted with the excellence in cinema award for my body of work. But this is an emotional moment for me to get the best actor on this very stage and be recognised for my role in a film that’s extremely special to me,” he said in a statement.
Abhishek added, “It was 3 years back in Melbourne at this same festival where Shoojit Da offered me this role in I Want To Talk. It was Shoojit Da who believed in me that i could pull off this role and this role is an ode to my father and my daughter because it’s about caring and raising a parent”. 
‘I Want To Talk’ explores themes of resilience, human connection, and the emotional journey of a father striving to rebuild his fractured relationship with his daughter. The film follows the life of Arjun Sen, a talkative Bengali man who has lived the “American Dream.”
Arjun’s life takes a dramatic turn when he learns he has just 100 days to live. This news forces him to confront his mortality, prompting a deep reflection on his life choices. His quest for reconciliation with his estranged seven-year-old daughter becomes the core of the story, marking an emotional and transformative journey filled with hope, redemption, and poignant father-daughter moments.
The movie stars Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role, supported by an ensemble cast including Ahilya Bamroo, Jayant Kriplani, Johny Lever, Pearle Dey, and Kristin Goddard.
Nimisha Sajayan and Jaideep Ahlawat won Best Actor (Female) (Series) and Best Actor (Male) (Series) for their performances in ‘Dabba Cartel’ and ‘Patal Lok Season 2’, respectively. The Tamil film ‘Angammal’ from director Vipin Radhakrishnan also won Best Indie Film.
The Bengali film ‘Baksho Bondi’ (Shadowbox) from directors Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi won in the Equality in Cinema category.
Check out the complete list of IFFM 2025 Awards winners:
Best Film- Homebound
Best Director- Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)
Best Indie Film- Angammal
Best Actor (Male) – Film: Abhishek Bachchan (I Want to Talk)
Special Mention – Best Actor (Male) – Film: Gugun Kigpen (Boong)
Best Actor (Female) – Film: Geetha Kailasam (Angammal)
Best Series: Black Warrant
Best Actor (Male) – Series: Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2)
Best Actor (Female) – Series: Nimisha Sajayan (Dabba Cartel)
Excellence in Cinema: Aamir Khan
Leadership in Cinema: Arvind Swamy
Disruptor Award: Vir Das
Diversity in Cinema: Aditi Rao Hydari
Equality in Cinema: Baksho Bondi
Best Short Film (India) – Kalar Pencils by Dhananjay Santosh Goregaonkar
Best Short Film (Australia) – Drifters by David Liu
The 16th edition of IFFM will continue till August 24 where Homebound will be the closing film. (ANI)
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