The Lunchbox is an endearing experience – My Review

Even as you sit in your place, “The Lunchbox” opens with a shot focusing the local trains of Mumbai. Set entirely in Mumbai, this is a film that tells us story of three people- their lives in Mumbai. Although the writer seems to be confused whether to cook up a film that plays like documentary of lives or a film that talks about various imaginative subjects- nostalgia, depression, expression etc. Packed roughly in 105 minutes, “The Lunchbox” is bit up of mishmash of the things its trying to tell, yet an endearing experience for too many reasons.

The film has a tortoise-moving pace and its important that all the three character’s every breathe is felt. Its only then the viewer can understand and capture the feelings. Given the kind of actors we have and a competent director at the helm of affairs, its an easy job to get hooked with what follows on-screen. The screenplay is terrific at times- the humor is immersed smartly in conversation and there are laughs and smiles to have here. Yes, the film has no agenda in what manner to culminate, which might suck some of the pleasure, still it manages to bring a smile when it ends.

The finale is left for us to guess and it ends abruptly. For me it was a smart move by the director rather than spoon-feeds which might have spoiled the fun. The writer deserves thumbs-up for creating straight-out-of-street characters. Be it the three leads or even the “aunty”, who plays only through voice and has no visual form, builds a lasting impact.

There was no shed of a doubt about the acting prowess of actors like Irrfan and Nawazuddin. They both have made their places in this industry. Hold your breathe, its Nawazuddin who remains the most innocently warm character. His character is uncouth, irritating and careless and Siddique owns the character. Irrfan Khan has a very subtle tone to his character. Note him in the scene where he freaks out on Nawazuddin. He is so real that you can’t help but feel his pains and joy. Nirmat Kaur surprisingly underplays her role with elan. She looks every bit a middle-class wife and she suits the role to perfection.

It would’ve aided the film to get more life in it had the director did not try to peek into too many topics simultaneously. At times, the films purpose does look lost and it brings uneasiness. Yet, nitpicking aside, “The Lunchbox” is a film to be given a chance. It has no social voice, no message for anyone. It talks about its characters and their life- and it succeeds. Had it been little more linearly narrated, it would’ve zoomed up. Go for it, it deserves a chance. If you are alright with slow-paced films, this one is for you. Don’t miss it.

Rating – 3/5

https://talkingmoviez.com/the-lunchbox-is-an-endearing-experience-movie-review/

Tags:
8 Comments
  1. sputnik 11 years ago

    hmm So looks like you do not think its as great as the popular reviewers suggested it.

  2. Reddemon 11 years ago

    Have you seen Sirf Tum starring Sanjay Kapoor?

  3. Suprabh 11 years ago

    I loved Sirf Tum– such an underrated movie.

    • cr7 11 years ago

      I think sirf tum was remake of a tamil movie . There was a bengali movie which was also a remake of the same movie . Haven’t seen the original tamil movie but i liked the bengali movie more than sirf tum . It was titled “Hothat Brishti”.

      • sputnik 11 years ago

        I liked Sirf Tum too. Sanjay Kapoor, Priya Gill were good and Sushmita was ok.

        Sirf Tum was a remake of Tamil movie Kadhal Kottai starring Ajit, Devyani and Heera. Have not seen that but its supposed to have won National Awards for Best Direction and Screenplay according to wikipedia.

  4. ank_16n 11 years ago

    Sirf Tum was a very good movie the theme, the screenplay ,the execution n the underplaying but impactfull characterization of each character was just perfect..!!

    their was another movie of suniel shetty where he plays a police officer n wins a lottery for his wife Archana puran singh(don’t remember the movie name) was also a good attempt by the directors simple yet touching..!!

  5. yakuza 11 years ago

    I absolutely LOVE Sirf Tum .. and it is extremely special for me and .. 🙂

  6. aryan 9 years ago

    Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’ gets BAFTA nomination

    London: Internationally acclaimed Indian film ‘The Lunchbox’ was on Friday nominated for the Film Not in the English Language category of the British Academy Film Awards 2015.

    “The Lunchbox”, starring Nimrat Kaur and Irrfan Khan, is competing with Polish-Danish drama film “Ida”, Russian drama “Leviathan”, Brazilian-British adventure drama thriller film “Trash”, and Belgian drama “Two Days, One Night”, according to the official BAFTA website.

    Directed by Ritesh Batra, ‘Lunchbox’ is a unique love story between a lovelorn wife and a lonely man. While it released in India in 2013, it hit the British screens only in 2014.

    The movie, produced by multiple names, has done its round of international film festivals, including those in Cannes, Zurich, London and Toronto.

    https://ibnlive.in.com/news/ritesh-batras-the-lunchbox-gets–bafta-nomination/522040-8-66.html

Leave a reply to Reddemon Click here to cancel the reply

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?