The Lunchbox (20 Sep 2013)

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nimrat Kaur, Denzil Smith, Nakul Vaid, Yashvi Puneet Nagar, Lillete Dubey, Bharati Achrekar

Director: Ritesh Batra

From which point of view, do you review this movie?

A) From the point of view of a team of leading and influential producers and co-producers who apparently joined hands to create an Indian movie straight for the Oscars!, Or, B) From the point of view of a team of very talented crew (director and actors) who created a simple but touching movie based on a simple mistake!

A) Over the years, Bollywood has churned out one after the other blockbusters. Quite a few of them have been sensible enough to be viewed and judged by the international audience (not just NRIs). But for one reason or the other, they never made to the Oscars. Either, the makers fell short of marketing, or the script somewhere fell into the category of ‘inspired’ and not original, or the movie did not match with the sensibilities of jury, especially how they perceive the Indian society and what they expect from an Indian movie! Till date only three Indian movies – Mother India, Lagaan and  Salaam Bombay have been nominated for the Oscars!

‘The Lunchbox’ has been wisely created nullifying all the aforesaid shortcomings. It is based on Indian middle class with no sense and/or need of daily grooming, cinematography totally focuses on dusty and cluttered habitats, Indian camaraderie, emotions and ethics have been highlighted. Also, there is no song and dance in the movie. Last but not the least, Mumbai ‘dabbawallas’ play an important part in the movie. This service is well recognized internationally, all thanks to their meeting with Prince Charles and a Harvard University team. The former met them during one of his Indian visits and the latter did a research on their impeccable service, so as to incorporate it as a case study in their study material.

Just to let you know, seventeen producers and co-producers are attached with this movie!

B) Ritesh Batra has created a beautiful movie wherein, throughout the camera is focused on only three main characters and a voice! It is no mean feat to achieve. You can also call this movie a ‘Song of the Unsung Heroes’, the heroes being – hands on housewives who spend major part of their day doing the household chores and also battle with their loneliness, hordes of 9 to 5 job holders who keep up with the same mundane routine years upon years without any complain and any expectation or longing of change, and gallons of home cooked fresh food which keeps the nation going and plays an important part in keeping family and friends together.

Irrfan Khan is simply superb. No words can explain his amazing range of acting and timing. The movie requires him to transform from a lonely and aloof person who barely converses and never smiles to a hopeful and semi attached person who randomly smiles and takes mild interest in other people’s lives. And you can see this gradual transformation frame by frame and not for a single moment you feel bored of seeing him and his myriad expressions. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has come across well as an eager and happy-to-please employee who speaks more than he actually works. His exuberant acting has very well complimented the detached one of Irrfan Khan. Nimrat Kaur is a revelation. You cannot believe that she is the same girl who appears in the Cadbury Dairy Milk – Silk commercial.

It is an interesting observation, that how a simple wrong delivery of a Lunch Box can spark joy and hope in the lives of the sender as well as the recipient. At the end of the day, we all just seek to be ‘wanted’, even if it is for the food we make or the appreciation that we show towards a well made food by happily cleaning off the plate.

Random relationships are differently judged by different people belonging to different cultures and state of advancement. Maybe for this reason, this movie has an abrupt ending. Or, you can say that the ending is left on the viewer’s imagination. Perhaps, this is to keep peace with both the home as well as the international audience.

It needs to be mentioned that, as per recent news, for the 86th Academy Awards i.e. Oscar entry for 2014, a Gujarati Film ‘The Good Road’ has been submitted by India, making it the first film in the language.