Homebound director denies claims of paying ‘shamefelly low’ Rs 10,000 to family who inspired the story: ‘Don’t want to mention the number because…’

Homebound director Neeraj Ghaywan said that the initial sum of Rs 10,000 to the family of Amrit was only a parting gesture, and is not the full amount paid to them.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | October 3, 2025 01:24 PM IST

4 min read

Homebound director Neeraj Ghaywan said that Rs 10,000 was just the initial sum. (Photo: Neeraj Ghaywan/Instagram)

Homebound, India’s official entry to the Oscars, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, was inspired by the story of friendship between two boys, Amrit and Saiyub, who braved odds to travel amid the peak of lockdown as they tried to reach home. As per a recent report by The Indian Express, Amrit’s (one of the boys) father said that he was given Rs 10,000 by the filmmakers, but they never kept in touch after that. The measly amount paid to the family angered certain pockets of the audience and now, Neeraj, in a statement on X, has presented his side of the story, claiming that this was not the full amount.

Neeraj has claimed that he gave Rs 10,000 when he first met Amrit’s family as a “parting gesture” and this was not the “full extent of the compensation provided. He also added that he did not want to reveal the actual amount that the family was paid “because that would disrespect the bond I share with Amrit and Saiyub.”

Neeraj’s statement read, “Some of you have expressed concerns about reports claiming that the family whose life inspired Homebound was compensated with a mere Rs 10,000—a shamefully low amount. I want to clarify that this sum was a small token I personally gave to Ram Charan ji (Amrit’s father) many years ago during my initial research, simply as a parting gesture.”

He added, “Please do not mistake this for the full extent of the compensation provided. Neither I, not the producers would ever reduce such a deeply personal story to such a pittance. The families’ contributions are invaluable and deeply meaningful to me. We have honored their trust and stories with sincere respect and significant support. They have expressed their happiness with me about the same and I, personally, don’t want to mention the number because that would disrespect the bond I share with Amrit and Saiyub—the original heroes of Homebound.”

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The Indian Express’ report stated that Amrit’s father Ram Charan was approached by the filmmakers but they did not keep in touch with him. “They collected information about Amrit and, before leaving, gave us Rs 10,000… I am unaware of any film being released,” he said. However, Saiyub, who now works in Dubai, said that he first met Neeraj a year after Amrit’s death. “Neeraj said a story about the friendship between a Muslim and a Dalit was important in these times of negativity in the country. After listening to him, I agreed,” he said and added that the team of the film had stayed in touch with him since then. He also shared that Neeraj had mailed him tickets for the film and he went to watch it with his friends in Dubai, where he is employed as a construction worker.

Homebound stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, and has been produced by Dharma Productions.

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