Ritesh Batra initially set out to make a documentary on Mumbai's dabbawalas but he was so fascinated with the little personal stories behind every lunchbox that he ended up making a film on these experiences.
'Lunchbox', which is one of the four films selected for Cannes Film Festival this year, is Batra's debut feature film, starring Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur.
Batra, who has been behind award-winning shorts like 'The Morning Ritual', 'Gareeb Nawaz ki Taxi' and 'Cafe Regular', 'Cairo', says it was a journey for the entire cast to shoot this film.
"I started working on the film in 2007. I wanted to make a documentary on the dabbawalas of Mumbai and spent about a week with them. But I became more interested in the personal stories that they knew about each family. I wrote the first draft of the film in 2011 and we shot it last year," Batra told PTI in an interview.
The film revolves around a mistaken delivery in Mumbai's efficient lunchbox delivery system. This wrong delivery of a lunchbox connects a young housewife to a man in the twilight of his life.
They build a fantasy world through an exchange of notes.
Batra is looking forward to present his film at Cannes, which is celebrating Indian cinema's 100 years this time.
"I always wanted 'Dabba' (Lunchbox) to be a film that travels. I wanted to make an honest and universal story so I am thrilled to see it being screened at Cannes. I am not going there will any other expectation. We will finally get the chance to watch the film as an audience," he said.
