Want to make films I believe in, says Irrfan

Mumbai: National award-winning actor Irrfan Khan says his basic intent behind turning producer was to wield the ability to churn out quality films.

Irrfan, 46, has co-produced the critically acclaimed 'The Lunchbox'. Releasing on September 20, the film is presented by Karan Johar and UTV, in association with Dar Motion Pictures and the National Film Development Corporation.

"You do come across films you want to have a control over right till they hit the screens. Many a times you do films and then they get unnoticed due to small release, lack of promotions etc. There are times when you get movies you really

don't want to do but the story is good and you do it," Irrfan said.

"With my own production house, my intent is to do the kind of films I want to do without having to wait for such a film to come your way," he said.

Asked him what are the kind of roles he would like to play on screen, Irrfan says, "I am desperately waiting to do a good comedy film. Also I want to make a trilogy in sports, I want to do romance. There are ample of things (roles) left to be done."

Johar is presenting this film and Irrfan feels the filmmaker will become more famous by lending his name to this project.

"He (Karan Johar) came on board because he liked the film. I think Karan Johar will become popular because of this film and not the other way round. Karan didn't come on board because this film needed a face value," Irrfan said.

"But that doesn't mean that the film will not benefit from his name, it will. It is nice to see that a filmmaker who makes cinema of completely different sensibility wants to come on board for this film," he said.

Irrfan said he chose to so 'The Lunchbox' because the movie was the element of romance and that drew him.

"After a long time I felt I could explore romance in a film. This film will remind me of the character I played, the emotion I projected, the story it had and it because of these films for which I became an actor. I want to do films that have the potential to become a part of people's lives," he said.

The film, directed by Ritesh Batra, stars Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles and revolves around a wrong delivery by dabbawala (lunchbox service) which leads to a relationship.

"There is an old-world charm to the romance this film has where you may fall in love with a person by just reading his or her letters. Such romance existed in the olden times," Irrfan said.

The film has the backdrop of the famous Dabbawalas of Mumbai.

"The Dabba culture is just a device to connect two people. But yes I feel it is interesting to see how these Dabbawalas work. There is nothing mechanical all the addresses are set in the minds of the people," he added.

The film garnered great response when it was screened at International Critics' Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and later won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award.

"In our country, a success of a film is measured by the money it makes on the first weekend. I would say do not judge a new bride based on the dowry she gets. The success of 'The Lunchbox' will be calculated by the number of lives it touched world over," Irrfan said.