Ishaan Khatter opens up about filming Dhadak with Janhvi Kapoor as they reunite for Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, which premiered at Cannes 2025.
Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor, who made their Bollywood debut together in Dhadak back in 2018, have reunited after seven years for their upcoming film Homebound. The Neeraj Ghaywan directorial had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2025 in May and is also set to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Dhadak, directed by Shashank Khaitan and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, was a Hindi adaptation of Nagraj Manjule’s acclaimed Marathi film Sairat. The film explored issues of casteism and honour killing and went on to perform well at the box office. The much-anticipated spiritual sequel Dhadak 2, starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, is slated for release on August 1.
Now, ahead of Homebound, Ishaan opened up about his experience of working with Janhvi on Dhadak. In an interview with Zoom, the actor reflected on one of the film’s most emotional scenes and shared, “On Dhadak’s set, Janhvi and I could lean onto each other.”
He further explained, “My character is going through a lot of conflict. He is trying to be a man for her but he is not able to. He is dealing with his own issues. He has been uprooted from his family. You can see the cracks in him, his vulnerability. He is trying to be supportive, but inevitably he’s dealing with his own demons.”
In Homebound, Ishaan stars alongside Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa. The story follows two childhood friends—Shoaib Ali (played by Ishaan) and Chandan Kumar (played by Vishal)—who hail from a North Indian village and are determined to break free from the burden of their marginalised identities. However, a series of events leads to internal and external conflicts that test their bond.
While the film has already garnered international attention at Cannes, its theatrical release date is still under wraps. Homebound marks a significant reunion for Ishaan and Janhvi, and fans are excited to see the duo together on screen once again.