It is a perfectly elaborate system by which the Dabbawallas transport thousands of lunchboxes day after day across the megacity of Mumbai from faithful wives to the workplace of their hungry husbands. Young Ila (Nimrat Kaur) also takes advantage of this service. Hoping to add spice to her marriage, Ila wants to try out some new, more sophisticated recipes. But unfortunately, the food doesn't end up at her husband's place, but at the place of Saajan (Irrfan Khan), who is about to retire and is more than surprised by the quality of his supposed delivery service. When Ila realizes that her lunchbox is being delivered to the wrong address, she encloses a message with the next delivery, to which she promptly receives a reply from Saajan. A pen-pal friendship quickly develops between the two strangers, bringing a little comfort and hope to their otherwise dull lives, and one that could permanently change their future.
Those expecting a typical Bollywood flick in Lunchbox will be bitterly disappointed. Nevertheless, lovers of Indian cinema should not miss it, nor should any other viewers who like small, tender arthouse films. The young Indian director Ritesh Batra has directed a really nice feel-good film, which can convince on several levels. The first thing that stands out is the visuals. The opening sequence, in which the viewer is allowed to follow the route of a lunchbox across Mumbai to the recipient's desk, is simply superbly realised and perfectly captures the pulsating life in this metropolis of millions in just a few minutes. And even as the film progresses, it has a very engaging visual language to offer time and again, in which Batra has embedded his charming story perfectly.
This brings us to the dramaturgical level. True, the wheel is truly not reinvented here. But the way Batra tells the story of two lonely people who give each other comfort and hope in an unusual way is very endearing and even has a few surprises to offer here and there. Especially when it comes to the ending, Batra's script certainly doesn't live up to the expectations of many viewers. But even though you might be a little disappointed with the outcome at first, it soon becomes clear that actually no better ending could have been chosen. And the fact that the story is also lightened up a little humorously every now and then with the help of the character of Saajan's successor Shaikh also underlines the charming nature of the production.
The third compelling layer of the film is the acting performances. Here, Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi) in particular delivers a truly great performance as a completely introverted, somewhat sullen and disillusioned with life Saajan, who slowly finds love for life again through the messages in his lunchbox. But Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui also fill their characters with a lot of life, making it very easy to become emotionally attached to them as an audience member.
Lunchbox may not be quite the revelation, not a film for the ages or a truly lasting cinematic experience. But it's simply a lovely little film that makes its audience happy and provides a brief escape from the daily grind. And that alone is enough to give this wonderful story of friendship a convincing "worth seeing" rating
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