Movie: The Lunchbox (better late than never)
I watched the 2013 movie The Lunchbox last week and kept saying to myself ‘why was I so late?’ But then again, I like watching movies after the hype has died down. I remember, initially this film got a lot of praise, critical acclaim and just in general a lot of love. Everyone I knew who loved watching films had watched it and some even kept up their pestering to make me watch it. I wanted to but I never really got around to it. I forgot. I finally watched it on a whim last week and needless to say, I loved it. A lot.
There are hardly any films where I have not admired Irrfan Khan’s performance. Some of his movies may have not appealed to me all that much but his talent always did. This movie was another example of the actor’s brilliance. However, the story as well was really good. The writing was steady, not slow but slowly pacing towards an end. I think the writing resonated with the trains that were an indispensable part of the movie, set in Mumbai. Every working person in Mumbai has at some point taken the local, or it is their sole mode of transport everyday, to work. Like it’s the Metro in Delhi. We see so many strangers every day on our way to work, and never even know the initials of their name, or where they come from. Imagine if a part of their life got entangled in our own, through a simple mistake like a wrong delivery address? How much difference will that make? It sure made a huge one in the lives of Saajan and Ila, the protagonists of the film.
Ila (Nimrat Kaut) is a housewife living in Mumbai with her husband and young daughter. She spends her time getting her daughter ready for school and then putting her heart and soul into preparing the lunchbox for her husband, which she entrusts in the hands of the Mumbai dabbawalas. Her only companion and frequent adviser is Deshpande Auntie (Bharati Achrekar) who lives on the upper floor of her house and converses with Ila by yelling down through her window. She is never shown throughout the film. Nimrat Kaur is stunning in the movie in her portrayal of a lonely Indian housewife who does what she can for her philandering husband’s attention and care, while managing an entire household without any complaints. I have only seen two movies of her and she definitely is one of the finest actors of the new generation.
The story gains momentum as her dabba that was meant to reach her husband reaches Saajan (Irrfan Khan) by mistake. Saajan Fernandez is on the brink of retirement from his accounting job. He lives alone in Bandra in the house that he shared with his dead wife. He’s strict and socially distant initially but as his correspondence with Ila increases through little notes they write for each other and pass through the lunchbox, he becomes… accepting.
Their story is heartfelt and feels so real that it makes you root for them even though things are left uncertain. Nawazuddin Siddiqui shows up as Saajan’s assistant and future replacement, Aslam Sheikh, and it’s as if he becomes the sole link between Saajan and the outside world. Ritesh Batra’s script and direction is gripping and completely engages you in the film. The frequent sound continuity as the next scene plays grabs the attention of the viewers. I think for a debut film, he was fantastic! The Lunchbox made me realize that sometimes, the hype is absolutely justified.
