Ritesh Batra
Ritesh Batra is an Indian film director and screenwriter,[1] most known as the writer, director and executive producer of The Lunchbox (2013).
Early life and background
Ritesh was born and brought up in Mumbai, and Sundance Writers and Director's lab alum. He grew up in a middle-class family in Bombay, now Mumbai. His father is in the merchant marines and his mother, a yoga teacher. Batra also has an elder sister who runs a tea business in Mumbai. He attended New York University briefly and dropped out of the film program. He studied economics as an undergraduate and worked as a consultant for 3 years before he went back to school to study film. He married Claudia Muñoz, a Mexican from Puebla in 2009, and became a father in 2012, his daughter was born during the shoot of his debut feature Lunchbox.
Career
His shorts have travelled to several festivals and one of them was even acquired by Arte, he became known for his nuanced portrayals of characters who are regular people in his shorts. Before this he has written and directed short films like Café Regular Cairo, Gareeb Nawaz's Taxi and The Morning Ritual. He has also acted in a short film named Super. Full.[2]
His debut feature The Lunchbox premiered at the Cannes Critics Week section in 2013, and the sales agent The Match Factory sold all territories within 48 hours of the world premiere. The film was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and Artificial Eye. It went on to play at Telluride, Sarajevo, Toronto and London film festivals. The Lunchbox released in India in September 2013 and crossed 23 crores or USD 4 million in the Indian box office, a record for an art house film in India, it was still playing in over 300 screens in its 5th week.
Personal life
He is currently based in Mumbai and New York. He is married to Claudia and has a daughter named Aisha.[3]
Filmography as director
| Year | Film | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Morning Ritual | Short Film |
| 2010 | Gareeb Nawaz's Taxi | Short Film |
| 2011 | Café Regular Cairo | Short Film |
| 2013 | The Lunchbox | Normal |
| Francophonie | ||
| Master Chef[4] | Short Film |
Awards
- Ritesh was named a Sundance Film Festival Time Warner Storytelling Fellow and an Annenberg Fellow in 2009 for his feature script The Story of Ram.[5][6]
- His short film Gareeb Nawaz ki Taxi won the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short Film at the 2011 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).[5]
- His short film Café Regular, Cairo was awarded the Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and the Jury Special Mention at the Tribeca Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival.
- The Lunchbox won the Audience Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival Critics Week.
- He won the Best Director Award for The Lunchbox at the Odessa International Film Festival.
- He won the Church of Iceland award at the Reykjavik International Film Festival for The Lunchbox.
- He won an award for Best Screenplay as well as the Jury Grand Prize at the 7th Asia Pacific Screen Awards for The Lunchbox.[7]
- He won Screen Award for Most Promising Debut Director for his film The Lunchbox in January 2014.
- He won Yash Chopra Award For The Most Promising Debut - Director at 9th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award for his film The Lunchbox in January 2014.
References
- ^ "About Ritesh Batra". Riteshbatra.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Ritesh Batra". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "About Ritesh Batra". Riteshbatra.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Ritesh-Batra-uninterrupted-reveals-future-projects/articleshow/23394663.cms
- ^ a b "Cannes: 'The Lunchbox' Director Ritesh Batra (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Ritesh Batra - Festival Scope: Festivals on Demand for Film Professionals World Wide". Festival Scope. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- ^ "Winners announced at the 7th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 12 December 2013.