Saif Ali Khan begins shooting for Ritesh Batra’s period drama in Mumbai; details of new collaboration remain under wraps
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
The star teams up with the filmmaker behind The Lunchbox for an soon-to-release period drama, that will explore unconventional narratives.
Adding to this, Ritesh Batra rose to international prominence with his 2013 directorial debut, The Lunchbox , starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The movie, which explored an unexpected emotional connection between two strangers in Mumbai, received widespread appreciation for its understated storytelling and performances. It also established Batra as a filmmaker capable of finding compelling human stories in everyday situations.
Meanwhile, Following the success of The Lunchbox , Batra ventured into international cinema with projects including The Sense of an Ending and Netflix’s Our Souls at Night , which featured Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. His work across different cinematic landscapes has collected him a reputation for character-driven narratives and nuanced explorations of human relationships.
Notably, For Saif Ali Khan, the project marks another addition to a career characterised by a willingness to experiment with different genres and characters. The star has frequently moved beyond conventional mainstream roles, exploring morally complex characters and unconventional narratives across theatrical and streaming projects.
As per the latest buzz, His performance in Netflix’s Sacred Games demonstrated his ability to navigate the darker shades of a crime drama, while films such as Homi Adajania’s Being Cyrus and Navdeep Singh’s period revenge drama Laal Kaptaan showcased his interest in distinctive storytelling. The soon-to-release collaboration with Batra could offer another opportunity for the star to explore a different cinematic space.
In further updates, With Batra’s preference for intimate, character-focused storytelling and Saif’s experience across genres, the period drama brings together two creative sensibilities that could make for an interesting collaboration. However, the makers have not yet revealed the movie’s storyline, supporting cast or rollout timeline. Production is currently underway in Mumbai, with the shooting schedule expected to remain tightly planned.
On top of that, The development comes amid a busy phase for Saif Ali Khan. In 2026, the star received attention for his portrayal of a morally conflicted police officer in Pulkit’s Netflix crime drama Kartavya , produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. He also appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in Priyadarshan’s theatrical action thriller Haiwaan .
Looking ahead, Saif is as per reports associated with projects including Devara Part 2 and Race 4 , among other potential franchise instalments. Further official announcements are awaited as the star continues to balance mainstream entertainers with projects that allow him to explore varied characters and genres.
Source: Bollywood Hungama