Just last week, the team behind Homebound was celebrating, and rightfully so. The film had made it to the shortlist of the top 15 contenders in the Best International Feature category at the Oscars. But that excitement has now taken a legal turn. According to a report by Hindustan Times, journalist and author Puja Changoiwala has initiated legal action against Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla’s Dharma Productions, alleging that the film, which stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, plagiarizes her 2021 novel, also titled Homebound. She plans to file the lawsuit in the Bombay High Court. Puja explained in her email: “The subject of both (novel and the film) is the COVID-19 migrant exodus of 2020.” She further alleges, “Upon watching the film, I discovered that the producers have not only misappropriated the title of my book, but have also blatantly reproduced substantial portions of my novel in the second half of the film, including its scenes, dialogue, narrative structure, sequence of events, and other creative expressions.” Following her viewing of the film, …