Everywhere you go this week, the one man people are discussing is Ishaan Khatter. Some are talking about his washboard abs and the many shirtless sequences in The Royals, others about how droolworthy he is as a romantic hero. Amid all the love pouring in, the actor’s takeaway is simple — “Trust your instincts”. He tells us that he went into the Netflix series, knowing that it would be entertaining. “When reading the script, I went from one episode to the next quickly. Also, it let me explore different facets of myself as a performer — whether it’s the romance, the comedy, or the drama that I tried to bring more of. It gave me all these opportunities in one role, which is rare,” he assesses.
Director Priyanka Ghose’s rom-com, also starring Zeenat Aman and Bhumi Pednekar, has become widely popular. What does success like this do to Khatter? “It fuels me,” he says, elaborating, “Whatever I do going forward, I don’t want to pressure myself. Let it be the driving force, but not enough to change the way I make decisions. Also, I have to enjoy this moment. I worked my butt off to get here.”
A still from Homebound
As he revels in this moment, another professional milestone is around the corner. Over the weekend, the actor will head to the Cannes Film Festival for Homebound’s première. Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial venture, also starring Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, has Martin Scorsese as its executive producer. “Homebound has already given us so much when it’s not released. Neeraj’s set is a beautiful place to be. It reminds you why you want to do this in the first place. Neeraj reminded me of Majid Majidi in many ways. Not all directors take the responsibility of your acting, but he is invested in what you’re bringing. He is sensitive, thoughtful, and [puts forth] his social commentary with such a light hand that his films are never preachy. I love him. At the drop of a hat, I’ll do anything with him.”
Khatter will watch Homebound’s final cut for the first time at the prestigious film festival. At a time when many Indian actors go to Cannes to walk the red carpet and make news for their fashion choices, he is among the rare ones to head there with a movie. “A film festival is for movies, not fashion. Everything is secondary to cinema. My dream was always to go there with a film. I didn’t want to go there as an
attendee. So, it’s a dream [realised].”
May 21
When director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound will première at Cannes Film Festival 2025