Irrfan Khan gave the idea for Metro In Dino, the Life in a Metro sequel, reveals Anurag Basu: ‘I didn’t have any plans’

Director Anurag Basu's upcoming film Metro... In Dino is a spiritual sequel to Life in a… Metro, inspired by Irrfan Khan's suggestion.

Director Anurag Basu is all set to release Metro... In Dino, the much-anticipated spiritual sequel to his acclaimed 2007 film Life in a… Metro. While the film explores themes of love, loneliness, and urban relationships across major Indian cities, what many may not know is that the idea for this sequel came from the late actor Irrfan Khan.

Anurag Basu credits Irrfan Khan for Metro...In Dino

Anurag recalls conversation with Irrfan that led to Metro... In Dino

In conversation with News18, Anurag shared a heartfelt anecdote about how Metro... In Dino came to be. “After Jagga Jasoos, Irrfan and I were chatting, and he suddenly said, ‘Metro 2 banaate hai’ (Let’s make Metro 2). It wasn’t right after Life in a… Metro. This was years later. But it was his suggestion that planted the seed for this film.”

Irrfan played a key role in the original film, which stood out for its mosaic of interconnected stories around urban relationships. His performance became one of the defining elements of Life in a… Metro.

Although there were rumours as early as 2017 that Irrfan had signed on for the sequel, the film was delayed and eventually took a different shape. Interestingly, Anurag never intended to make a trilogy of hyperlinked films.

“I didn’t have any plans of making a trilogy. I was scared if Life In A Metro would even work. It was something very different. But after that, I got the hang of it. I started enjoying writing hyperlinked films. Then Ludo happened,” said Anurag

About Metro... In Dino

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anurag Basu, and Taani Basu, and directed by Anurag Basu, the film stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ali Fazal, Anupam Kher, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Neena Gupta.

The story unfolds through four interconnected love stories, spanning young, middle-aged, and older couples, set against the backdrop of a bustling metro city. The trailer teases the dynamics between the pairings: Sara Ali Khan–Aditya Roy Kapur, Konkona Sen Sharma–Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal–Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Anupam Kher–Neena Gupta. The film is set to hit the screens on July 4.