The Lunchbox

An old saying repeated in Ritesh Batra's charming The Lunchbox is that sometimes the wrong train will bring you to the right station. In this case, however, the train turns out to be a dabba (lunchbox), wrongly delivered by a dabbawala to a middle-aged government claims adjuster on the brink of retirement. It works out well even though, in reality, with about 5,000 dabbawalas in the city of Mumbai who deliver more than 130,000 lunch boxes each day, they rarely make a mistake. Written by Stefan Tomke in the mode of You Got Mail, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), a young housewife dutifully prepares a lunch for her emotionally distant husband every day and has it sent to him via the courier.

On the advice of her upstairs Auntie, Mrs. Deshpande (Bharati Achreka), Ila tries to have her husband notice her by putting more spice in the food. When it is wrongly delivered to Saajan (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi), however, a series of unintended consequences unfold. What begins with a short note from Sajaan to Ila that "the food was salty today" develops into a series of exchanges passed back and forth in the lunchbox everyday in which the two open up to each other about their lives, memories, and their hopes and dreams for the future. A subplot involving Aslam Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an aggressively upbeat successor to Sajaan, adds a touch of humor to the proceedings but also serves to draw a contrast between himself and the grumpy Saajan.

Both Aslam and Sajaan become more endearing, however, as the film progresses. While the ending may thwart expectations if you are used to having all the pieces neatly fit together, The Lunchbox mixes food and romance in a very appealing combination, removing any doubt that Ila and Sajaan have moved to a new level. Impeccably acted and beautifully realized, the film provides an honest appreciation of what it is like to live in Mumbai without exploiting its poverty for Western audiences. Though the wrong train may indeed bring you to the right station, ultimately there is no wrong train and no right station. As The Lunchbox demonstrates, there is just the train and the journey, and it's all perfect.

Once Rabindranath Tagore says about 'short stories'...

"Simple events of life happy or sad,/ Some sad strings from the train of forgetfulness,/ Not fraught with heavy descriptions,/ Not crowded with events,/ No advice, no philosophy/ Only the feeling that the story is not yet over/ Although there is no more to read..."

'The Lunchbox' is a perfect example of a unique 'short story'. A little love story with some little events and pain... but at the end there is a new beginning.

The story is about a lonely old widower and a young neglected house wife. They connected through a lunch box and some letters, and share some emotional thought and experience of there daily life with each other. They are totally stranger to each other, but love has found out it's own way to enter.

There is a basic question about "Love"... 'Is it possible to fall in love between two strangers'? "The Lunchbox" defines it brilliantly... 'Love has no definition and it never follows any rules. So there is a possibility to fall in love with somebody whom we never meet. People loves to fall in 'Love' again and again, it may be someone we know or don't know or whom we already loved with'.

Irfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are acted very well through out the movie. Direction of Ritesh Batra is just too much perfect. After interval, the movie is a little bit slow, may be it's a situational demand. Overall it's an wonderful experience.

Lastly, the best part of the movie is 'The Ending'. "Only the feeling that the story is not yet over, although there is no more to read". There is something unspoken in this movie. It depends viewers to viewers, where they actually like to go with "Sajan & Ila".

Strongly recommend to all cine goers... please watch it...

To be able to write an involving story on something considered impossible is the hallmark of a good writer. 'The Lunchbox' is based on such a story surrounding the dabbawalas of Mumbai.

One mistake that brews a terrific relationship between two strangers, so delicately portrayed through the exchange of letters. There are only three actors in this film and each has delivered a stellar performance. None of them have many dialogues, but their expressions and motions depict their character in such an excellent manner, you wished there were even fewer lines! Irrfan proves with every new film that he in fact is the best 'Khan' of Bollywood and Nawazuddin can just not disappoint. He's used his GoW success to break into films such as this one and done justice to each role. Nimrat Kaur's simplicity throughout the film looks so effortless and yet so unbelievable for the Bollywood of today, which is ever so increasingly synonymous of excessive glamour and fashion.

Cinematography is average, but again, this isn't a 'visual' movie, it's more of a story. Direction looks great as Ritesh has been able to get the best out of his cast. Well, you'd have to try real hard to have Irrfan and Nawaz amidst your cast and yet churn a flop, but the director does deserve some credit.

In my opinion, this is the second best film of the year after Madras Cafe. I haven't seen Bhaag Milkha Bhaag though, so that might change things for me. Either way, this is in no way a bore or a drag as the film keeps you hooked onto the amazing story line and individual performances.

Enjoy!

The Lunchbox(Movie -2013) Review - The movie "The Last Samurai" ended with a quote something like "We all seek some small measure of peace, and few of us ever find". After many years "The Lunchbox", a movie from a completely different background and culture echoed the same thought to my ears, really it is never too late to start your life again. You can expect the movie will be a gem as you have the two best character-artists of this decade – Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the lead roles. However I didn't expect Nimrat Kaur will also give such an awesome performance as I never followed her before except "Cadbuy Dairy Milk-Silk adds", and I apologize for my ignorance sincerely! Nimrat was equally great. This movie can be an excellent demonstration of what extraordinary performance really means in any acting-learning institute of any part of the world, trust me on this!!!

The start of the story - A frustrated housewife prepares an excellent lunch for her husband with great care. But unfortunately (or fortunately!), it reaches to an equally lonely person on the verge of retirement - Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) whose wife died long back. This simple cross connection by Mumbai Dubbawalas in the age of digital era starts a beautiful and interesting romantic relationship however ending of which has been kept open-ended for our own imagination. At the same time we can see an excellent equation and emotional turmoil building up between Saajan /Irrfann, the serious and lonely parting boss and Shaikh/Nawazuddin, his future replacement, who is funny and enthusiastic and quiet opposite to his boss.In some cases Nawazuddin has overshadowed Irfann too! The direction was superb, specially the depiction of the supply chain of the Mumbai Dabbawalas through the city is just extraordinary.Hats-off Ritesh Batra for his unbelievable first time direction.

Disclaimer: This movie is 4.5/5 from me, 0.5 is deducted only for its little slow pace , otherwise it in an extraordinary story about very ordinary lives. To me, this movie deserves all the critical appreciations it has received both in India and Outside. Avoid only if you really hate slow paced realistic depiction about everyday common lives of Tom,Dick and Harry and expect only superheroes doing superhuman activities; otherwise this is a "MUST WATCH"!

"The Lunchbox" is the most honest love story to come out of Bollywood in ages. It is a delightful story of love blossoming slowly, one letter a day, between two most unlikely but equally despondent characters you could ever match make.

Debutant Director, Ritesh Batra, who is also done the script writing, has crafted an exquisite gem of a movie. Batra impresses because he does not set out to impress. He conveys eloquently the state of the mind of each character because he is economical with emotions and does not exaggerate. Batra makes a memorable movie with multiple layers because he is honest with himself and his craft. Ritesh Batra is simply magnificent.

The performances by the 3 leading actors, Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur are disarmingly natural, poignant and memorable. Pitted against the two stalwarts (comparatively speaking), Khan and Siddiqui, newcomer Nimrat Kaur more than holds her own. I am at a loss of words to describe her performance. Her character is nuanced, neglected, grieving and most complex yet Kaur's is the most memorable performance in the movie. Her role would be talked about for a long time to come.

While ironically, the whole serendipity bit of the film kicks off with a delivery mistake made by Bombay's Dabbawalas, world famous for their Six Sigma (99.999666% ) accuracy, Batra's movie reassures that even if the odds of finding true love in life is Six Sigma stacked against you, it is worth waiting for and taking your chances.

"The Lunchbox" is the most sumptuous and appetizing fare Bollywood has offered in ages. Just go for it