Movie Review: Lunchbox (2013)

Release date: 20th Sept 2013
Director: Ritesh Batra
Rating: 4.5/5

Every once in a while, one comes across a movie or a book where it is hard to find a central message the creator wanted to send across. However, in remarkable fashion, it leaves you with a string of powerful sequences, words so profound they seep through your head, bounce off the pit of your stomach and well out from your eyes. Lunchbox is one such masterstroke.

In a mere 100 minutes, this movie packs more emotions, more stellar performances, more food for thought than there was in some decades of the Indian movie industry's existence. The believability of the movie is striking. The eccentric neighbour aunt (who in a sharp contrast to our PM has no face but acts through her voice), her partly amusing, partly heart-warming relationship with our leading lady Nimrat, the kids playing on the streets, Irrfan the scrooge, Nawaz playing the enthusiastic and emotional commoner, and a brilliantly captured sneak peek into the much-revered Dabbawallas - the creatives behind this one sure had a rich palette.

The stalwarts - Irrfan and Nawazuddin just do their usual thing, while Nimrat Kaur surprises by beautifully carrying off a poignant, de-glam role- her big screen entry being nothing short of stellar. It is adorable how Irrfan, a middle aged government employee, communicates with an unknown woman, spelling out his replies in very formal english. It is endearing how he, matter of factly, calls her his girlfriend and then blushes a bit. It is crushing when he writes about how he remembers his now-dead wife and rues every moment he spent away from her. It worries you when you hear Nimrat's morbid words, and pray she doesn't harm herself. It is a treat to watch the audience around you sitting silently, attentively watching the story unfold, and then spontaneously laugh as Nawaz or Irrfan dole out witticisms right in the midst of moving sequences.

The ending, as one would say, leaves you craving for more. There is a lot left unanswered. The director chooses not to give what the Indian audience looks for - closure. Here, though, lies the brilliance of it all. It makes you think, look back at all the questions the movie raised - about love, about growing old, about fresh starts, about relishing those little joys of life and about memories and our undying need for nostalgia.

Also, there is hardly any music. Wait... did I say no music? Sorry, I just meant there were no instruments being played.