THE LUNCHBOX (HINDI) (2013)

Love could well be blind, but, the makers of The Lunchbox convince us that, it sure has an appetite for tasty cuisine. Debutante director Ritesh Batra takes the age old adage "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" and redefines it in a refreshing romantic recipe.

The Lunch Box is the unconventional, albeit endearing love story that is sure to charm its way effortlessly into the heart of every cinephile. And as with the best of recipes, it depends on minimal, yet dependable, ingredients (read characters), to cook up a delightful dish. 

Irrfan plays Saajan Fernandes, a reticent widower on the verge of retirement after more than three decades of number crunching and pushing files. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Shaikh, the effervescent incumbent who is to be the understudy. Nimrat Kaur plays Ila, a young homemaker in a middle class household who is distraught to see her life being slowly shredded in the mororse mechanical existence in a loveless marriage. The magical, yet maddening metro of Mumbai, which - with its overcrowded public spaces filled with lonesome souls and a chaotic bustle tempered by the six sigma precision found in the traditional technology of the dabbawalas - embodies the many of its magnificent ironies, is the other major character in the story. It adds a dimension that provides Batra's story with context and a rich texture that permeates throughout without in any way being intrusive in the narrative.

When, by a stroke of sheer serendipity (literally, one in a million at that), the lunchbox containing Ila's culinary delights aimed to rekindle the romance in her marriage with an indifferent husband, finds its way to the desk of Fernandes, it triggers a journey of these two lonely souls fuelled by gastric juices. 

They begin a communication through simple handwritten notes - him writing in English & she, in Hindi - exchanged through the lunchbox. Hitherto strangers, they confide in each other with such openness in their conversation through these notes and begin to forge a beautiful connection that brightens their individual worlds.  What follows is a poetic and wholesome journey of these two souls as they open up to each other and traverse down a path of unconventional romance even as they rediscover long forgotten shades of themselves. Batra garnishes their romance with several small, yet remarkable characters - be it the unseen chatty aunty who stays on the apartment above Ila's who communicates only with her voice (an excellent Achrekar pricing even an unseen voice could be a very real character) and a basket lowered down to the floor below, her comatose husband represented by the old fan, a young girl who resides in the home across Fernandes' or even the old lady in the train who appears in a singular scene and steals a place in your heart with her toothless grin. 

The performances are top notch which make Batra's characters very real, endearing and close to the viewer's heart. The ever-dependable Irrfan performs with such nuance in a role that speaks very little and that too in measured responses which are free and far apart. Yet, he conveys volumes through his body language and expressions, be it the bored irritation on being accosted by an ebullient Shaikh, the contended smile on smelling the fare in the lunchbox, the surreptitious glances around before reading the note in the lunchbox, the tense anxiety - a mini thriller in itself - with which he awaits the lunchbox after hearing the news of a suicide earlier in the morning or even his attempts to fight the withdrawal from the habitual smoking or even nervously contemplating an upcoming meeting with Ila. This is a masterly performance by one of the best, albeit oft-ignored/under-utilised actors of Indian cinema which deserves all the plaudits and awards that are sure to come his way. 

But, it is newcomer Nimrat Kaur who is the find of this movie as she beautifully complements Irrfan with such an authentic performance as a lonesome housewife who is drawn into an unconventional romance. She is convincing in her portrayal of Ila as someone who enjoys her cooking and puts in a winning performance through her expressive eyes as in the scene when she is waiting in the restaurant. Nawazuddin Siddiqui deserves a special mention for another pitch perfect performance for, with any other lesser performer, his character could have gone over the top or become phony, so easily. It is to his credit that he brings an air if dignity to the cameo of a pesky trainee and he lights up the screen with his ebullience in every frame he appears.

The Lunchbox exemplifies economical film-making at its very best and it  could be seen in every aspect of the movie which is reminiscent of the master director Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop). The background score relies almost entirely on the sounds from the natural setting like the bustle of the city, sounds from the commute or the songs played on the cassette player from the apartment above. The cinematography too captures the banal visuals of everyday existence of a city as they would be seen through the eyes of any common man which accentuates the realistic edge of the narrative and make it so believable for the viewers who are engaged in the unfolding events and feel connected to the characters. The director and the cinematographer show a keen eye which captures several minor nuances of life in Mumbai and weave them seamlessly into the narrative.

"Sometimes even the wrong train can take you to the right destination" is a line we hear more than once in the movie and it encapsulates the entire journey of the movie concisely. The debutante Ritesh Batra has arrived as a much awaited blossom in the garden of Indian cinema  in its centenary year. If hundred years is what it takes to come upon such a perfect directorial debut, I would say the wait was still worth it. Ritesh has dared to debut with a rare and mature movie sans the staple Bollywood cliches, melodrama and song n dance numbers. It is profound, poignant filled with subtle humour that is sure to make the viewer chuckle (mostly of it coming from a brilliant Nawazuddin) and keeps a brisk pace. Now, that his initial offering has whetted the appetite of gourmand cinephiles, one hopes for many more delectable delights and meaningful cinematic journeys in the future. 

A MASTERCLASS  DIRECTORIAL DEBUT ! A MUST WATCH !!