The Lunchbox Review

One Line Review: A blooming relationship that perishes loneliness of a desolated widower and a neglected housewife.

Positive Points: Pragmatic character performances, Realistic Plot, Flawless Screenplay, Intellectual Concept.

Plot: Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is an ignored housewife, who tries to win her husband's (Nakul Vaid) heart through his stomach, by favoring him with her delicious dabba and with the constant tips from upstairs neighbor, Deshpande aunty (Bharti Achrekar), who is only heard, but not seen in the movie. Then the one in million mistake occurs, when the lunchbox misleads to Saajan Fernandez (Irrfan Khan) table, instead of reaching to her husband.

Later she realizes that the lunchbox was misplaced. Next day, annoyed Ila sends a sarcastic note, accompanied in the lunchbox, to which Saajan readily responds. This heads towards the routine conversation between the duo, where these strangers find comfort in sharing the smallest happenings of their life.

Direction and other technical aspects: Debutant director, Ritesh Batra has done a fabulous job by evoking the sheer performances from the actors. Also, his screenplay is well headed and goes on with the correct flow, thereby maintaining the same intensity till the end. The story is splendidly conceptualized, where the audience tend to crave for more at the end. Cinematographer Michael Simmond has correctly captured the hustles-bustles of Mumbai, whether it be over-crowded scene in train or the silent teary nights of Ila and Saajan.

Performance: Debutant Nimrat Kaur has got totally sunken into her housewife role and has paid attention towards every screening attributes, right from her dizzy looks to her baffled body language. She carries her character with an utmost ease. Unconventional Irrfan Khan again proves himself, as one of the India's finest talents in today's time. His role of an about-to-retire boring person, brightens up the screen. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has a supporting role, which truly can't be ignored. He pleases with his pesky personality, who acts trainee cum companion to Irrfan. His over-eager character gels well with tiresome Irrfan. Bharti Achrekar plays the audacious aunty, who is visible in the movie only through her voice. These four actors have performed till the peak of perfection, that they become relate able to the visualizer.

Denzil Smith, Nakul Vaid and Lillete Dubey have done justice to their respective minute roles.

Music: Although 'The Lunchbox' didn't contain any songs, yet, in some scenes picturing dabbawallas, the bhajans were played at the background, which are commonly heard in Mumbai local trains. Also, the famous track, "Mere Saajan" sang by Kumar Sanu, from the film, 'Saajan' (1991) was used as a background score that went well with the flow.

Final Verdict: An intellectual piece of art, dealing with the negligence of love, which fades in the busy lives. 'The Lunchbox' has the USP of nurturing an innocent love through letters in the tech-savvy times of SMS and Emails. And as the movie, rightly quotes, "Kabhi, kabhi galat raasta bhi sahi jaaga pohocha deta hai..".