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. 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. Truly one of the most memorable films I have ever seen, and well worth seeking out.Īn old saying repeated in Ritesh Batra's charming The Lunchbox is that sometimes the wrong train will bring you to the right station. It does require patience from the viewer, but that patience is amply rewarded.
The film is brooding, melancholy, although it also has an uplifting and optimistic strain woven through its fabric. As a side benefit, this movie gives an excellent view into the lives of middle-class Indian families: where they live, what they eat, how they get to and from work. Also the way he grows out of his initial antipathy towards Shaikh is just marvelous. He definitely deserves an award for this role. You can just smell the curries as he tentatively takes a whiff of this and that dish. And he is able to convey his appreciation for the food without exaggeration, without overacting, but with subtle signs of growing interest which are so true to life. The camera stays on him for minutes on end as he opens the lunchbox, unpacks its contents, sniffs each dish, samples from this and that, all at a very leisurely pace. Watching Irfan Khan play Saajan was a treat. Shaikh as well turns out to be both more and less than what we had initially expected. Their exchange of notes is so full of deep insight and philosophical reflection on the human condition. Saajan is very off-putting at first, but as we learn more about his past, we see him more sympathetically. We are so drawn to Ila, her anxiety to capture her husband's attentions, and her inner torment as she suspects his infidelity.
Like all great movies, this one excels in its story, its characters, and the prowess of the actors who portray them. Meanwhile, Saajan's initial loathing for Shaikh develops into tolerance and eventually friendship. Saajan loves his lunches, and begins corresponding with Ila via notes left in the lunchbox. However, Ila soon realizes that the lunch is going to someone entirely different: Saajan, an office worker who is about to retire and be replaced by a young overeager newbie (Shaikh). Ila is an Indian wife and mother trying desperately to regain her husband's affection by going to great lengths to prepare his daily lunch, which is delivered to his office.
The script is at times witty, poignant at others, whilst at the same time making beautiful user of silence. Everything about the film has an attention to detail that makes the film very watchable. Lunchbox is like the Bollywood version of the very best French film so it was no surprise to see that some of the funding had come from France - and I imagine some of the expertise too.
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