Acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu once turned to Indian filmmaker Dr Biju for help in finding an Indian actor for his upcoming film Digger, according to a post recently shared by the National Award-winning director. Hindustan Times first reported the story.
Dr Biju, whose full name is Bijukumar Damodaran, revealed on Instagram that he had received an unexpected email from Iñárritu on 22 July 2018. The message, however, referred to an earlier conversation that began during the film’s development.
Sharing the memory, Dr Biju wrote that Iñárritu had sought his recommendations for an Indian actor to join the project. He said he suggested several names, although none ultimately became part of the cast. At the time, he had been asked to keep the exchange confidential and honoured that request.
With Digger now completed and its trailer released, Dr Biju said he felt comfortable sharing the experience. He described it as a privilege to have been involved, even briefly, in the film’s early pre-production discussions.
The filmmaker also said he felt honoured that Iñárritu had considered him a friend for the past 15 years. He added that friendships and mutual respect across different film industries had been among the greatest rewards of his career, and wished the director and the Digger team success.
Dr Biju also shared a screenshot of an email sent by Iñárritu in 2016, in which the director outlined the qualities he wanted in an Indian actor.
In the email, Iñárritu asked for recommendations for an Indian actor aged between 40 and 60. He wrote that fame was not important. Instead, he wanted “a real face” rather than “an actor face”—someone who could appear warm, command attention when serious and make audiences laugh naturally.
He also said the actors previously recommended to him looked “too soft” and did not resemble “real people”. Iñárritu asked Dr Biju to send him a confidential list of his favourite actors.
Digger is scheduled for release on 2 October. The film stars Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
Dr Biju is a celebrated Indian filmmaker who has won National Awards for Veettilekkulla Vazhi (2010), Perariyathavar (2013) and Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal (2015). His most recent directorial venture is the 2025 film Papa Buka.
