The Lunchbox
“Lunchbox" is a romantic drama film written and directed by Ritesh Batra. Sajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) is an accountant who is about to retire in a month, and his wife passed away a couple of years ago. Ela (Nimrat Kaur) is a young, beautiful woman who is unhappy due to her husband’s extramarital affair.
A lunchbox delivery service makes a mistake, and Ela's husband's lunchbox is exchanged with Sajan's. They become friends by writing letters via the lunchbox. This story is set in Mumbai.
Sajan Fernandes leads a solitary life. Every day, he comes to the office and goes home in the crowded local trains. Ela is a housewife who tries to bring colour to her married life. She prepares various dishes for her husband with the help of Mrs. Deshpande, who lives in an apartment above.
Due to a mistake in the Mumbai Dabbawala service, Ela's husband's lunchbox is mixed up with Sajan's. Ela discovers her husband's lunchbox went to the wrong place, so she writes a letter, which Sajan reads. A correspondence through letters begins between them.
An office intern named Shaikh replaces Sajan. At first, Sajan finds Shaikh annoying. However, when Shaikh makes an accounting mistake and faces termination, Sajan takes the blame to save his job.
One day, Sajan visits Shaikh's home for dinner and learns that Shaikh is an orphan who has been alone in his life. In childhood, he even named himself. Shaikh invites Sajan to attend his wedding.
Ela's husband is having an affair and doesn't communicate or listen to her properly. She plans to settle in Bhutan with her daughter. Sajan suggests she come with him, and they plan to meet at a hotel.
At the hotel, Sajan sees Ela from a distance and realizes the age gap between them. He decides not to meet her. After retirement, Sajan goes to Nashik by train.
Ela finds Sajan's office address from the Dabbawala service. Sajan returns to Mumbai midway and uses the Lunchbox Services to find Ela's house. Their meeting is not shown in the film.
In the end, Ela's father dies from lung cancer, and her mother (Lillete Dubey) expresses how alone she has been in life, suffering through various hardships. Her emotions come out, and she finds relief from the stress of her husband.
"Lunchbox" is a love story between two lonely people. The film conveys the message that those blessed with a happy family are very fortunate.
The film includes two beautiful philosophical lines:
Life is very busy these days, and everyone desires what others have.
I think we forget things if there is nobody to tell them.
The film portrays how people nowadays feel alone and chase material possessions, leading to reduced communication and internal struggles. Everyone needs someone to listen to their sorrows, joys, and emotions.
Legendary actors Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui display an incredible range of acting skills, portraying their characters with a splendid array of emotions. Nimrat Kaur beautifully embodies her role and does justice to the character.
When Sajan visits Shaikh's home for the first time, he realizes the pain behind Shaikh's enthusiasm, and Sajan listens carefully. Irrfan's remarkable listening skills captivate the audience. His nuanced performance deserves a standing ovation.
As a director, "Lunchbox" marked Ritesh Batra's debut film. The film was nominated for the British Academy Film Awards (not in the English film category).
Harish
