On June 15, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001)—one of three Indian films nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards—marked its 25th anniversary. This year, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound made it to the Oscars shortlist after having premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.

A thread that binds the two disparate films is the game of cricket—tied up with the scourge of caste. What differs, however, is the lens with which it gets framed.

However, in Homebound, the protagonists are far from passive. Ghaywan makes the Dalit bowler Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) vocal about the inequities and injustices both on the field and outside. Cricket becomes a metaphor for life itself. The passion for the game might give him the rare moments of joy and his bowling might win a match, but the celebration and credit is reserved for the upper-caste batsman. Homebound situates cricket at the intersection of caste and faith through the character of Shoaib (Ishan Khatter)—Chandan’s friend and ally in the face of bigotry—whose loyalty to India is questioned in a match against Pakistan because of his religion.

The question then becomes: What changed in the intervening 25 years between Lagaan and Homebound?