Vogue India July 2016

through this whole pro-

cess. We started work-

ing on the script, and a

few months later the

actors came on board—

Jim Broadbent, Char-

lotte Rampling, Mi-

chelle Dockery and

Emily Mortimer.

AC: Did you ever have a moment

of doubt?

RB: Several times, even while editing it. But

you know, it’s either going to be good or it’s

going to be like revenge for colonialism.

AC: So either way it’s a win-win?

RB: Yes, you can’t really go wrong on this! Eve-

ryone’s been so lovely, especially Julian Barnes.

He wants us to sort of betray his work in a nice

way. So you want to make it good for all those

people, especially for the actors.

AC: Were they wary of an Indian direc-

tor taking this on or completely on

board with The Lunchbox’s success?

RB: I think they were all on board. When Char-

lotte came onboard, she had really poignant

questions about the script and her character. I

changed the script based on that because you

want to bring it closer to the actors. But they all

loved The Lunchbox and completely trusted

me. Initially, some of the crew seemed wary but

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director making any other movie.

AC: What was the biggest challenge in

moving to London to make this movie?

RB: London is so great and it’s the world of the

story, so to embrace that was a challenge. I’ve

really gotten to know it now. I’ve always come

here for a quick meeting and never stayed long-

er than two or three days. So when I came here

last May, I really had to discover the city for

myself to show my London in the movie.

AC: What do you mean by ‘my London’?

RB: I know Mumbai well because I grew up

there, especially Bandra. I knew Irrfan’s house

in The Lunchbox when I was writing it. So

while making the movie it was just a matter of

going there and shooting it. But in London, I

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chase sequence in the tube, so I just took the

tube up and down, watching people. You’re

shooting the actors in the foreground, but

what’s in the background also matters. What

were the ’60s like in Bristol? What kind of peo-

ple go to what restaurant? In Mumbai I know

who goes to an Irani café or a fancy place, and

what they wear. You have to make all these de-

cisions when a costume designer tells you this

is what a supporting artist is going to wear. Is it

a place where only white people go? Is it a place

like this [Dishoom] with a sprinkling of every-

one? That was hard work for me.

AC: Were you afraid to direct actors like

Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling?

RB: Yes, one is always afraid. I was afraid while

making The Lunchbox too. We have a lot of

special-needs actors in this movie. There was

not one occasion where I had any inkling of it

being hard with them. I thought a good way to

make this movie would be to just make it like

ordinary life. I have seen a lot of great British

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process was about stripping the humour away a

little bit and going for something deeper.

AC: You refer to yourself as the chroni-

cler of ordinary lives.:K\GR\RXÀQGRU

dinary lives more interesting?

RB: The Lunchbox taught me that there’s a

real hunger in the world to see an Indian story

well told. People are curious to see how we live

on a day-to-day basis. You go anywhere in the

ZRUOGDQGWKHUHZLOOEHD+ROO\ZRRGÀOPSOD\

ing—they’re very easy to access. I don’t think

there’s any reason why there should not be

Indian stories that are as easy to access.

AC: So what’s next for you?

RB: I’m coming back to Mumbai and making

the next thing—a quiet love story.

AC: Something like The Lunchbox?

RB: Yeah, but even quieter. Q

“I knew Irrfan’s

house in The

Lunchbox when

I was writing

it (the i lm)...

But in London

[while shooting

The Sense Of An

Ending], I had

to discover

the place”

—RITESH BATRA

Chopra and Batra try a
sampling of Indian bhel,
Prawn Koliwada and
Chicken Ruby at Dishoom

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