Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Homebound’ Faces Legal Storm, Author Puja Changoiwala Alleges Copyright Infringement

The cinematic world was filled with pride and excitement when the hauntingly beautiful film ‘Homebound’ got shortlisted for the Oscars 2026. But the celebration was spoiled by the onset of a fierce legal battle.

The well-known investigative journalist and author Puja Changoiwala has taken the movie to court, claiming that the narration, character development, and even some dialogues of the film are copied from her critically acclaimed novel of the same title. 

While the producers of the film argue that it is a new creative work based on the extremely sad reality of the 2020 migrant exodus, the lawsuit’s filing at this point puts the film’s winning of an Academy Award in a very tight spot.

Homebound Literary Plagiarism

The dispute’s core revolves around the remarkable similarities between Changoiwala’s written account and the movie’s script. The legal documents indicate that the film not only literally depicts the pandemic-induced migration but also very closely reenacts the author’s book in terms of unique viewpoints and emotional moments.

The lawyer team representing Changoiwala claims that the character of the movie has been constructed in such a detailed manner that it is impossible to say it is mere “coincidence.”

In the sphere of intellectual property, the variance between historical influence and theft of creativity is slight, and the court will now have the task of deciding whether the filmmakers did indeed skip the necessary step of obtaining the official adaptation rights for the literary work.

Copyright Infringement

As the hearing gets closer, the statutory repercussions for the production house are really bad. A copyright infringement ruling could not only bring massive financial compensation but also lead to a global ban on the movie being shown or sold.

This legal issue is very troublesome in terms of the Oscar campaign when “originality” is one of the main factors for choosing the winners. Experts from the film industry have pointed out that if the court concludes that the script was not a new movie but a work taken without permission, the Academy could completely rule out the submission. The producers now have to offer “paper trails” of their script’s development that are older than their access to the author’s published materials as proof.

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