The Lunchbox
Year: 2013
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nimrat Kaur

‘There is something about this Lunchbox!’

That was the first thought in my mind, when I decided to watch ‘The Lunchbox’. When the top critics in the country are falling over each other to give a perfect rating to a film, I naturally expected nothing short of a moving masterpiece. The storm over its non-selection as the Indian entry for Oscars only added to that expectation. Under the weight of these expectations, how did the film come across?

What’s the plot?

An almost improbable error from Mumbai’s most celebrated tiffin carrier system- the dabbawalas, leads to wrong delivery of a lunch-box. A tiffin, prepared with special care by a neglected young housewife (Nimrat Kaur) to win over her indifferent husband, ends up on the table of an about-to-retire, grumpy, widower accountant (Irrfan Khan). The mistake continues to be repeated and thus begins a unique interaction between the two protagonists, who now start exchanging notes through the lunchbox, discussing different things in their lives. Slowly they both start enjoying this daily exchange, which has brought something colorful to look forward to in their boring, almost empty lives. Even without meeting each other they both start harbouring feelings about each other. Is it possible for this accidental interaction to grow into a lasting relationship?

What’s hot?

First-time director Ritesh Batra, who also happens to be the writer of the film, has managed to weave a bittersweet tale of two distinctly different everyday characters, whose simple lives are changed by the unexpected wrong delivery of a lunchbox.

Batra’s portrayal of Mumbai’s middle class lives is spot-on and insightful. The film perfectly captures the city’s matchbox apartments, musty offices and daily grind through trains, buses and rickshaws. The film is full of subtle philosophical observations about human behavior and life in general; but it does that with a touch of humor, rather than making preachy sermons.

Irrfan Khan is outstanding as the middle-aged accountant, who only has a month to retire from his government job. His transformation from a silent, sullen man into a smiling person with a wry sense of humor has a lot to do with the lunchbox exchange (and the possibility of an unlikely romance). But it is also engineered by his junior (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), whose pesky perseverance and endearing candor finally forces the grouchy senior to accept him as a friend. Siddiqi is terrific in this role.

Nimrat Kaur in her debut role shines with a free-flowing, natural performance as a wife who discovers that her marriage is crumbling around her and then finds a spark of hope in her growing proximity with a man, whom she has only met through the letters! Scenes of her daily dialogue with an unseen neighbor staying one floor above (given a voice-over by the redoubtable Bharati Achrekar!) are a riot!

What’s not?

Despite its sweet simplicity and tongue-in-cheek humor, it is a slow-paced, cerebral movie which is unlikely to appeal to the masses.

It is not a typical feel-good love-story and a lot is left to imagination of the viewers!

It doesn’t really leave you with a great emotional impact, just the satisfaction of watching a well-made film!

Verdict

The Lunchbox is a beautifully written, exquisitely directed and extremely well-acted movie. But I do not agree with those who are going overboard by calling it the best or the perfect film ever coming out of Bollywood. In my opinion to qualify for that tag the film not only should satisfy the critics, but it also needs to appeal to the mainstream audience in a big way. I have always believed in ‘Classes with masses’ theory in that regard!

Rating

4 stars