Homebound steals limelight, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Geetha Kailasam among winners

It’s a time of celebration for the Homebound team as the film won two big awards at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025.

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor. It is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta and Somen Mishra under the banner of Dharma Productions.

Homebound has been honoured with the Best Film Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Apart from that, Neeraj Ghaywan also won the Best Director award for Homebound. Karan Johar celebrated the victory of Homebound at the film festivals. Taking to his Instagram stories, he wrote, "Our first WIN! Will always be special #homebound.”

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 hosted its annual Awards Night, celebrating the best in cinema.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan was honoured with the prestigious Excellence in Cinema Award, recognising his decades-long contribution to the craft and his unmatched influence on the industry. On the other hand, Arvind Swami earned the Leadership in Cinema accolade, as per the press release.

He said in a statement, “I have been attracted to telling stories from a very young age. Filmmaking is a collaborative art and this award and recognition wouldn't have been possible without my writers, directors, co-stars and the audiences who have given me the opportunity to tell the stories and be part of the many stories i have been part of.”

Check out the complete list of IFFM 2025 Awards winners:

• Best Film: Homebound

• Best Director: Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)

• Best Indie Film: Angammal

• Best Actor (Male) - Film: Abhishek Bachchan (I Want to Talk)

• Special Mention - Best Actor (Male) - Film: Gugun Kigpen (Boong)

• Best Actor (Female) - Film: Geetha Kailasam (Angammal)

• Best Series: Black Warrant

• Best Actor (Male) - Series: Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok Season 2)

• Best Actor (Female) - Series: Nimisha Sajayan (Dabba Cartel)

• Excellence in Cinema: Aamir Khan

• Leadership in Cinema: Arvind Swamy

• Disruptor Award: Vir Das

• Diversity in Cinema: Aditi Rao Hydari

• Equality in Cinema: Baksho Bondi

• Best Short Film (India): Kalar Pencils by Dhananjay Santosh Goregaonkar

• Best Short Film (Australia): Drifters by David Liu

The 16th edition of IFFM will continue till August 24 where Homebound will be the closing film.