India, Sept. 26 -- It has taken Neeraj Ghaywan a decade to follow up Masaan (2015) with a full feature film. The obvious question: why the long wait?

His latest, Homebound, arrives with an unlikely backer: Karan Johar. The man who built his empire on candy-floss romances with sky-high budgets is now producing a film that stares at caste prejudice and religious discrimination. That alone makes Homebound worth paying attention to.

The story follows Mohammed Shoaib Ali (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan Kumar (Vishal Jethwa), childhood friends from a small village in North India. Both dream of clearing the national police exam and escaping poverty. But when Chandan makes the cut and Shoaib does not, their friendship cracks. Adding another layer ...