Their first outing together, The Lunchbox, exuded a new fragrance of cinema that Indian and international audiences equally enjoyed. Now, director Ritesh Batra says he wants to team up with actor Irrfan Khan again to recreate magic on the silver screen.
“I would love to work with Irrfan again. I am always looking for an excuse to work with him again,” Batra said over phone from Mumbai before flying off to Britain for a new project.
The 2013 film is a unique love story between a lovelorn married woman and a lonely man, played by Nimrat Kaur and Khan, which is ignited by a mistaken delivery by Mumbai’s dabbawallas.
Love blossoms between the two after they exchange letters, with food becoming the bridge between them.
The movie has done its round of international film festivals, including those in Cannes, Zurich, London and Toronto.
The film made India proud after it earned a nomination at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) awards in its foreign language category. However, it lost to Polish drama Ida.
After finding fame across the globe thanks to his debut movie, Batra has landed a chance to direct a movie adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel The Sense of an Ending, featuring Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent.
Batra noted that the casting process for the film was still underway, but getting Khan on board for the project seemed highly unlikely.
“The novel is very British with British characters,” he said.
However, the director mentioned that he would find a way to work with Khan again.
“If not this one, then may be the next one,” he said.
