Though religious riots and incidents of caste-based violence frequently make headlines in India, in Homebound, Ghaywan and his co-writers explore how language and the oral narratives of bigotry and prejudice are powerful instruments of oppression. Whenever he is asked his full name, Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) says it’s Chandan Kumar. He is embarrassed to tell people his full name, Chandan Kumar Valmiki, because those three words give away his scheduled caste status and determine people’s opinion of him. The officer suspects he is lying and proceeds to ask him his ‘gotra’ because merely belonging to a certain caste is not enough. Chandan has memorised the name of a gotra as well, hoping his lies and unwavering stare can earn him the respect of the officer.