‘Looked at me & started CRYING’: Anurag Basu on Konkona remembering late Irrfan Khan During Metro…In Dino

The first song from Metro…In Dino, titled “Zamaana Lage,” was launched at a press event in Mumbai on Wednesday. While the event marked the start of the film’s promotional run, it also turned unexpectedly emotional when the late actor Irrfan Khan was brought up.

Konkona Sen Sharma, who starred opposite Irrfan in Life in a… Metro (2007), spoke about moments during the shoot of the new film that reminded her of her former co-star. “There were times I thought of him on set,” she said, choosing not to elaborate further but hinting that the film itself would make the emotional connection clear.

Director Anurag Basu, who has helmed both films, added that Irrfan’s absence was strongly felt. He recalled a specific incident during filming when Konkona became visibly emotional during a scene. “She looked at me, and suddenly, she was in tears. I understood why, and we moved on. It wasn’t something we needed to talk about,” he said.

Basu also mentioned other collaborators from Life in a… Metro who are no longer part of the team — including singer KK and art director Rajat Poddar. “A lot of people who helped shape the first film aren’t with us now,” he said.

Metro…In Dino features a large cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta, Anupam Kher, Ali Fazal, and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film is set to hit theatres on July 4, 2025, and is positioned as a thematic follow-up to Life in a… Metro, with interconnected stories about relationships in urban India.