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EXCLUSIVE: Bollywood icons Saif Ali Khan (Sacred Games) and Vidya Balan (Jailer 2) will star with Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) in The Lunchbox filmmaker Ritesh Batra’s next film Long Years Ago, which is now underway in Mumbai.
The comedy-drama heralds from Adeel Ahmed and writer-director Batra’s film and TV outfit Poetic License, and is being produced in partnership with Jio Studios (Dhurandhar), and Good Chaos (Ballad Of A Small Player). Jyoti Deshpande is producing for Jio, while Good Chaos’s Mike Goodridge and Teresa Moneo serve as executive producers, as does Siddharth Mehra.
Set in 1991, Long Years Ago “is the story of a family that has gone too long without saying the things that matter, and what happens when they’re finally forced to find the words.”
“I am tremendously honored to be working with Saif, Vidya and Melanie, and to see these great actors bring characters that are so close to my heart to life,” said Ritesh Batra.
“Ritesh has an extraordinary gift for telling deeply personal stories that resonate across cultures. Long Years Ago is a film about love, family, and the things we often struggle to say to one another, and I felt an immediate connection to it. Collaborating with Melanie, Vidya, and this exceptional team is exciting, and I can’t wait for audiences around the world to experience this deeply moving story,” commented Saif Ali Khan.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of Ritesh Batra’s next film. I’ve been a huge admirer of his work ever since The Lunchbox, and have been hoping to collaborate with him for the longest time. There’s such a beautiful sensitivity and honesty to his storytelling. What makes this even more special is that I get to reunite with Saif after Parineeta, my very first film! I can’t wait to experience the magic of working with both Ritesh and Saif,” added Vidya Balan.
“I met Ritesh fifteen years ago at the Marrakech Film Festival, and we shared this dream to meet in Mumbai one day. I immediately loved this new project, and I am more than honored and happy to be a part of it,” noted Mélanie Laurent.
Batra made his name with The Lunchbox, which premiered at Cannes and became one of the highest-grossing releases of the year in India. He went on to direct Our Souls at Night with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and the Sundance title Photograph, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra. Most recently, he directed the first block of the upcoming Netflix series Unaccustomed Earth.
Poetic License also has projects in development with HBO and A24. The company’s theater work began with The Lunchbox Musical, written by Batra and adapted from his 2013 film. The production played a sold-out run at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Dil Chahta Hai, Omkara and Sacred Games star Saif Ali Khan, and National Award winner Vidya Balan, are both icons of the screen in their native India. César winner Laurent is known for movies including Inglourious Basterds and Now You See Me.
Former A24 exec Mehra worked on shows including Beef and Mo for Netflix, before launching label Total Monsoon. His first production, Crystal Lake (a prequel series to the Friday the 13th movies from Brad Caleb Kane, Linda Cardellini and A24) premiered on Peacock + Sky on October 15. Upcoming are Superfakes for A24, and Long Years Ago.