An Inglourious Basterds star just signed on to a new Bollywood film, and the cast is absolutely stacked. The actress joins Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan in a new comedy-drama from The Lunchbox director.
Inglourious Basterds’ Mélanie Laurent joins Saif Ali Khan in Long Years Ago
Ritesh Batra, the filmmaker behind The Lunchbox, has begun shooting his new comedy-drama Long Years Ago in Mumbai, as Deadline first reported. The film brings together Bollywood icons Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan with French actress Mélanie Laurent, best known for Inglourious Basterds. Notably, Poetic License, Jio Studios and Good Chaos are producing the project together.
Set in 1991, the film centers on a family that has avoided saying the things that matter for too long. Eventually, they are forced to find the words. Jyoti Deshpande produces for Jio Studios, while Mike Goodridge, Teresa Moneo and Siddharth Mehra serve as executive producers.
In a statement, Batra expressed deep gratitude for his cast. He said he is “tremendously honored” to work with Khan, Balan and Laurent. He also added that watching these actors bring characters close to his heart to life holds deep meaning.
Meanwhile, Khan shared his enthusiasm for the project. He called Batra’s gift for telling personal stories that resonate across cultures “extraordinary.” He also noted feeling an immediate connection to the film’s themes of love, family and unspoken words.
Similarly, Balan highlighted her long admiration for Batra’s work since The Lunchbox. She called the reunion with Khan especially meaningful, as Parineeta was her very first film. On her part, Laurent revealed she met Batra fifteen years ago at the Marrakech Film Festival. She said they shared a dream to one day meet in Mumbai and collaborate.
Before this, Batra directed Our Souls at Night with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. He also helmed the Sundance title Photograph starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Most recently, he directed the upcoming Netflix series Unaccustomed Earth. In addition, Poetic License currently has projects in development with HBO and A24.
