"The Lunchbox", directed by Ritesh Batra, is said to have become the first Indian film since the 1990s "Salaam Bombay!" to be nominated at the BAFTA awards. And this, after the movie was snubbed as India's official entry at the Oscars in 2013.
"We are so happy that our faith in Ritesh and 'The Lunchbox' is paying off so beautifully. It's a film we are very proud of and earning a Foreign Film nomination is yet another reassurance that great content will always go a long way," Monga said in a statement.
The nomination turns out to be extra special for the team, especially as the Film Federation of India (FFI) had, in 2013, chosen Gujarati film "The Good Road" over "The Lunchbox" as India's entry for the best foreign film at the Academy Awards.
"I'd like to say a big thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) jury," added Monga of the banner Sikhya Entertainment.
Jointly produced by multiple studios like DAR Motion Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions, Sikhya Entertainment, National Film Development Corporation (India), ROH Films (Germany), ASAP Films (France), and the Cine Mosaic (US), "The Lunchbox" features Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur.
It tells the tale of Ila, a young middle class Mumbai housewife, trying to win back her husband's affections through his stomach and how a rare misplaced delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient 'dabbawala' system of lunchboxes, from homes to offices, connects her to an old widower, through notes in the lunch box.
The movie has been screened at several foreign film galas, including those in Cannes, Zurich, Toronto and London.
Its fate at the BAFTA awards will be determined on the day of the award ceremony, which will be held Feb 8 in London.
