Ritesh Batra casts Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan and Melanie Laurent in his new 1991 drama

Director Ritesh Batra is working on a new period movie named Long Years Ago. The story is a family comedy-drama set in the year 1991 and takes place mostly in Mumbai. The lead cast features Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan and French actor Melanie Laurent. Jio Studios is producing the movie under the leadership of Jyoti Deshpande, who also worked on Dhurandhar. According to Deadline, the plot follows a family that has waited too long to say important things to each other and must finally face that silence. Ritesh Batra stated that he feels deeply honored to work with this main cast to bring his close-to-heart characters to life. Saif Ali Khan shared that he felt an instant connection to the script and looks forward to sharing the moving story with global audiences. Vidya Balan mentioned she wanted to work with the director ever since she saw his 2013 hit The Lunchbox, which featured Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur. Melanie Laurent brings an international element to the film's cast. She noted that she met the director roughly 15 years ago at the Marrakech Film Festival, where they first talked about making a movie together in Mumbai. The director's past work includes films like Our Souls at Night and Photograph, along with directing the first block of an upcoming Netflix series titled Unaccustomed Earth. Saif Ali Khan's recent acting work includes the Priyadarshan movie Haiwan, while Vidya Balan appeared in the hit film Jailer 2 with Rajinikanth.

Context

Period dramas set in past decades often explore how changing social environments affect personal relationships within families. Ritesh Batra gained wide recognition for his quiet, character-driven storytelling in previous independent and mainstream projects. Co-productions involving international actors and major domestic studios like Jio Studios reflect a growing trend in Indian cinema to reach broader global audiences.