When Vishal Jethwa dropped the idea of going to Cannes as he wasn’t fluent with English

Mumbai, Nov 29 (PTI) Actor Vishal Jethwa on Saturday said he was initially reluctant to go to the Cannes Film Festival with his film “Homebound” as the fear of communicating effectively in English language on a global stage loomed so large that it even overshadowed his excitement.

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer’s The New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home”. It portrays the childhood friendship between a Muslim (Ishaan Khatter) and Dalit (Jethwa) who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied due to their surnames.

Jethwa recounted his personal struggles with the English language during a session at the 15th IFP, the multi-disciplinary creative festival being held at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studios.

“I took one thing from Chandan, accepting your identity. This is such a universal topic. It’s everywhere. All of us, somewhere or other, are not able to accept ourselves completely. I used to have a lot of fear before, and it was such a level of fear that I used to be afraid to talk in front of people, because I couldn't speak English very well. I would wonder, how would I present myself in front of people,” said the actor, , also known for his nuanced performance in “Mardaani 2” and “Salaam Venky”.

“Homebound”, which also stars Janhvi Kapoor, garnered wide acclaim when released in theatres in India and also at film festivals like Cannes and Toronto International Film Festival.

“…The fear of (not being fluent in) English (language) was of such a level that when we were going to the Cannes film festival I thought, ‘Let me not go to Cannes, and that’s okay for me’. That was because I thought my contemporaries, Ishaan (Khatter), Janhvi (Kapoor), Neeraj sir (Ghaywan) and Karan sir (Johar), know everything, and I don’t know anything,” Jethwa said.

“Later, I felt it is not about English, it is about accepting your identity. Then I felt comfortable. It is about accepting who you are and accepting the other person. Don’t look at the caste, religion, nationality, or colour of the person. Just see the human behind them. And I think I learned this from the film,” the actor added.

“Homebound” was recently selected as India's official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category. Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer on the project. PTI KKP ATR ATR