Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all North American rights to Cannes Critics’ Week winner The Lunchbox.

The Indian film, written and directed by Ritesh Batra, stars Life of Pi’s Irrfan Khan, Nirmat Kaur and Nakul Vaid.

In the film, a mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older stranger. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality. 

Batrsa said: “The film is a delicate story with lots of humour and pathos, and SPC is a good home for our film and a great team.”

This deal was negotiated by Michael Weber of The Match Factory. Recent deals between SPC and The Match Factory include the acquisitions of Fill The Void and Wadjda.

Producers of The Lunchbox are Gunneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap of Sikhya Entertainment and Arun Rangachari of Dar Motion Pictures.

Co-producers are Nina Lath Gupta of NFDC, Shanaab Alam, Vivek Rangachari, Sunil John, Nittin Keni, Karsten Stöter and Benny Drechsel of Germany’s Rohfilm, Cedomir Kolar and Marc Baschet of France’s ASAP Films, Danis Tanovic.

Executive producers are Lydia Dean Pilcher of CineMosaic, Irrfan Khan and Ritesh Batra.

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