The Lunchbox movie review

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Film: The Lunch Box
Timesofap Rating: 3.75/5
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Genre: Romance
Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes


The Lunch Box’, the Anurag Kashyap production starring Irfan Khan has been creating quite a buzz worldwide. It has also now joined the race to become India’s official entry to the Oscars along with putting Indian cinema into the global cinema genre. Directed by Ritesh Batra, the film also stars Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddique in other lead roles. Bollywood3 attended one of the special shows of the film and so let’s read on to see how the film is.

Story:

Saajan Fernandez (Irfan Khan) is a government official and a widower who stays alone in bustling metropolis of Mumbai. Saajan keeps to himself and prefers to do things on his own. He gets his lunch box delivered through the famous Dabbawalas of Mumbai and one day his lunch box is interchanged by another lunch box sent by Ila (Nimrat Kaur), an unhappy house wife, to her husband.

When Ila notices that the box is going to the wrong person everyday, she writes a letter to Saajan and sends it along with the lunch box. Saajan finds that letter interesting and replies back to Ila and as days go by, Ila and Saajan start sending letters everyday through the lunch box and end up becoming close friends without having met each other. The rest of the story is as to where these letters take the two of them over time and whether they eventually end up meeting each other.

Plus Points:

One cannot help but applaud the innovative story presented in the film. The manner in which the film has been narrated is pretty interesting and there is never a dull moment which in turn keeps the viewers intrigued till the end.

As usual, Irfan Khan nails the film with his extraordinary performance. He is sure to win many major awards for his performance as Saajan Fernandez. He looks so natural and plays out his character in a very realistic way. Nimrit Kaur is a revelation and does a fabulous job for her debut film. As Ila, she looks absolutely realistic and believable as a depressed housewife. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays Irfan Khan’s assistant at his office, also does a wonderful job and compliments Irfan Khan perfectly.

There’s something timeless about this movie even though it is set in present day Mumbai. The trains, offices, dabbawallas and the daily life of Mumbai are captured authentically.

Minus Points:

The Lunch Box is not your regular film that aims to entertain you. The film has no songs and those who are looking for a fun element can safely stay away from this film. This film is strictly for mature audience and film festivals. The way the climax has been handled is also a little unclear.

Technical Aspects:

The cinematography in the film is absolutely stunning with the middle class Mumbai life showcased in a realistic manner. The screenplay of the movie is very gripping and fires your imagination right till the end. The film has finely etched characters, genuine emotions and a cute and a clever love story that connects with everyone.

Director Ritesh Batra gives the film an unsentimental eye and even gives the real-life dabbawalas a central place in the screenplay. The editing of the movie is neat and the crisp run time also helps.

Final Word: Overall, The Lunch Box is one film that will stay with you long after you are done with the viewing. Stunning performances by the lead cast and a gripping narrative will involve you completely. On the flip side, the movie will not find any takers at the box office and might mostly be limited to film festivals and award ceremonies.