THE LUNCHBOX - Movie Review

After waiting for almost 2 weeks post its release, I was able to catch a show of one of the most sublime films to have come up for a long time. With tonnes of international acclaims and awards, winning laurels from critics worldwide, I waited with bated breath to see magic cook right in front of my eyes. And boy was I overjoyed! 

What transpired on screen for the next 104 minutes was sheer brilliance in terms of storytelling and performances. 

On digging a little deeper, there were layers of subtexts attached to the narrative, each one having its own myriad shades of emotions. The Lunchbox indeed offers you the most sumptuously cooked film ever.

The narrative is simple, right from its outset but puts forth the complexities in the life of its protagonists with metaphorical instances thrown in at various junctures and as the chefs say, "ADD SALT TO TASTE", this movie pretty much ends in the same way, "ADD AN END TO SUIT YOUR TASTE."

In what is a rarity in the delivery system of the Dabbawalas, one of the dabba reaches the person for whom it wasn't cooked and from there on starts our journey, as an audience, to get a sneak peek in the lives of the protagonists. 

The writing is sparklingly refreshing. Great bits of metaphors and imageries are placed subtly in the story.

Certain scenes just stay with you throughout. The portions where Irrfan tells Ila that he has been offered a vertical burial plot for he has spent all his life standing up in the buses and trains and the scene where he sees a painter paint the same background over and over again with slight changes in the foreground and detailing or the scene where Ila writes about her views on a woman committing suicide with her child are instances where the writing is of the highest calibre.

In an otherwise watertight screenplay there is ample scope for improvisation in terms of performances. But the biggest victory for the writer and the director (Ritesh Batra) is in the successful creation and portrayal of a timeless world in the lives of the protagonists filled with melancholic chores in the otherwise busy city of Mumbai.

The editing is near perfect, dialogues are thoughtful. There is hardly any background score and despite this fact, the impact of every line spoken or every frame shown is bang on target. The cinematography is excellent. Despite being in the crowded local trains and the buses, the focus never gets diverted. The scenes involving Dabbawalas have a documentary kind of a feel to it.

Nimrat Kaur wins the hearts of the audience with a wonderful portrayal of a woman torn apart by her husband's negligence and an ailing father, trying to find a reason to live. Her conversations with Deshpande aunty (an absolutely amazing voice character by the veteran Bharati Achrekar) are brilliant and her conversations with Irrfan, through letters are even more fascinating.

The letters are more of a confessional exchange among the lead pair. She cooks her heart out, for a stranger and there is a sparkle in her eyes as she reads what Irrfan has written back to her. For once she feels important.

Nawazuddin Siddique is the life of this film. He brings much needed energy and joy with his antics in the otherwise thoughtful and serious film. He also comes along with a past but it is his way of living that probably makes him such a jolly character. Chopping vegetables on office files while on his way back home, continuously reminding Irrfan about the training, Nawazuddin shines in the role of Sheikh. 

I finally do not have words to praise the genius of Irrfan Khan. What a tremendous actor! He plays a role almost twice his age and makes us believe that yes he is about to retire!

To play a normal, routine, realistic character is the toughest and Irrfan pulls it off with aplomb. He lives the role of Saajan Fernandez and is the backbone of this drama. 

He plays a clock-obeying government employee who treasures silence. And this is one film which provides Irrfan the scope to improvise.

The scene where Nawaz accidently discovers Ila's letter in the lunchbox and the way Irrfan takes it from his hands and keeps it in his pocket will make you stand up and applause.

He underplays himself and with such great restrain that when he finds himself too old for Ila, and conveys the same to her, there are chances of a drop of tear or two just rolling down your cheeks.

Debutant director Ritesh Batra gets his ingredients and masalas right, cooks it to perfection to serve out a delicious offering.

It does not look like a debut effort. I think it would be going too far but The Lunchbox is to modern cinema what Masoom and Aandhi were to the cinema of the 70's and 80's.

The director wins the attention with almost everything he does. Be it the way he introduces the name of Irrfan's character, or the way he sets up conversations between Ila and Deshpande aunty, or the scene where Irrfan stares up at an unmoving ceiling fan, with disbelief and a bit of fear, or the way he adds up the importance of old daily soaps on Doordarshan are absolutely fantastic. 

It is good to see so many producers backing this film. From NFDC and Anurag Kashyap to Karan Johar, to UTV and the German guys, this is well and truly, a global film.

A lot has been said about The Lunchbox not making the cut for the Oscars but lets not get that fact hamper the quality the film that it already is. All in all, NFDC is a proud producer though.

The Lunchbox is a fascinating platter of human emotions, superbly crafted indie (yes I would call it an indie because UTV and Dharma joined after the film was complete) which yet again gives out a small little message of keeping the simple things simple and enjoying the small bits of happiness that life offers us. Indulge in this one; this one is for the cinematic gluttons. 

**4.5 STARS**