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	Releasing On - 24-04-2024

   Love cures you of all the pain and the same love can become the biggest pain of your life. You find companionship in love and at times, it leaves you lonely. Love is heartwarming and heartbreaking. The Lunchbox beautifully depicts the both sides of love. After gathering rave reviews in all the major film festivals, this delight of film is finally here to stir your taste buds and heart strings. The film is remarkably original and doesn’t follow suit to the structures of the romance genre. It makes you laugh and cry. It makes you want to go back to your mother/wife and hug them for taking care of you.

   Ila (Nimrit Kaur) is your regular Mumbai housewife. Waking up early, getting her kid ready for school, packing tiffin for her husband who has lost interest in the marriage… that’s Ila’s life. She’s deeply alone. Call it a mistake, coincidence or sheer destiny, one day the lunchbox is not delivered to her husband but reaches the desk of Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan). The lunchbox brings back life into the middle-aged widower’s life. After years of eating staple mess food, Saajan tastes love. The food touches his soul. Ila realises that the tiffin was had by someone else and not her husband but she’s happy as the tiffin was wiped out. She writes a note to Saajan along with the lunchbox the next day. The exchange of notes lead to an undefined bonding. Ila and Saajan rediscover themselves with the letters. They give life another chance. The notes start growing into letters and become more revelatory of their inner selves.

   The film beautifully deals with despair, loneliness and unrequited love. The Lunchbox is also an ode to Mumbai. You catch glimpses of the jam-packed local trains, the over-crowded busses and the busy roads. It shows you how delicate relationships and bonds are formed amidst the hustle bustle of the city so well known to us. The films also makes you nostalgic. The characters of the film ache for Doordarshan’s Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and sing songs from Saajan.

   Full props to debutant director Ritesh Batra for creating a world so present yet so old world. It’s a good change to see two people connecting over love letters than SMS’s. Ritesh also has a strong hold over the narrative of the film. There are few scene in the film which go on for long but you are so engrossed into the film’s poignancy that you forget the world. Ritesh is helped by an able star cast who elevate the film to an all together different level. Adjectives fail when it comes to describing Irrfan’s performance. Just when you think, he can’t better himself, he surprises you once again. He barely speaks in the film and just lets his body do the talking. Nimrit Kaur is a find. She’s the whip of fresh of air we need in our cinema. She showcases all emotions; love, longing, sadness and joy with abundant ease. Her craft seems effortless. The film has a strong sporting cast too. The ever dependable Nawazuddin Siddique shines in a small role playing Saajan’s nosey colleague. There’s a scene in the film where Irrfan says to Nawazuddin, “There’s no value for talent in this country.” You smile as two of the most talented actors in the country exchange this line and think whether it’s actually a jibe of the current scenario of out films. There’s one more strong character in the film too. You don’t see “Aunty” throughout the film. You only hear her giving culinary tips to Ila. Her voice is familiar and you are happy when you realise it’s Bharti Achrekar.

   To sum it up, The Lunchbox is one of the best films to come out from Hindi film industry. It takes us a notch higher. Do yourself a favour and watch this film. And you are warned… you will be hungry for good food and love after the end credits roll.