20th Annual Life OK Screen Awards/ Winners

Making a mark on celluloid with the ubiquitous lunchbox, director-writer Ritesh Batra caught the viewers fancy when he spun a beautiful love story in his maiden directorial venture The Lunchbox. Revolving around the three main protagonists Irrfan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur, the film won accolades at international film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival Critics Week, Best Director Award at the Odessa International Film Festival, the Best Screenplay and the Jury Grand Prize at the 7th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, before having a fairly good run on the domestic market. No wonder then, Batra walked away with the Screen Best Debut Director Award. A Mumbaikar, Batra has been a part of the Sundance Writers and Directors Lab Alumni, has directed several short films like The Morning Ritual (2008), Gareeb Nawaz’s Taxi (2010) and Café Regular Cairo (2011), before he showcased The Lunchbox on the big screen.

“I am very honoured to win, it’s a tremendous honour. The film has been a great journey of working with wonderful actors and crew. My next project is to lose some weight.”
— Ritesh Batra