The Lunch Box- Movie Review

This stuff is delectable. I did not have this kind of a feeling, for a long time. I wished the movie wouldn't end when it did. Often, it's the other way around, thanks to poor editing.

Out here, everything is flawless. I generally don't go gaga over a Hindi movie. But I have to hand it to the director (haven't heard of him either). In the bunch of mostly meaningless masala that Bollywood churns out, this comes like a bolt from the blue.

There are innovative touches, like an 'aunty' who lives above the heroine's flat, and communicates through the window/balcony with her (and whom you never see), and using the reviews of the dabbawalas done by Harvard and Prince Charles in unexpected places. Also their song while travelling in Mumbai trains, used so effectively in the end...

The acting to me was truly electric, with the first-timer, Nimrat Kaur, doing even better than the veteran Irrfan Khan. She reminded me of Smita Patil a lot. Nawazuddin is also very effective with his act that acts as a foil to the 'serious' love story developing around him.

Fabulously understated and minimalistic, yet packs a punch. Need more of this stuff coming out of India-this is an Indian-French-German co-production, I believe. But it's all India in its story and treatment.

3 comments:

Diamond Head said...

will open it and sample the fare.. dabbavala logistics is amazing in its 'ahead of its time' moniker

Harimohan said...

On the list. Read his interview, director Ritesh Batra's. Said he spent much time travelling trains with the dabbawalas on some project early on.

Rajendra said...

I am not surprised, Hari. It was an authentic touch, their journey portrayed in the movie. But who is this Ritesh Batra? Why haven't we heard of him before?

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