When you go into a movie, one of whose somewhat reliable review claimed it to be the best movie to have come out of India in the last 10 years, you are bound to have certain expectations and in retrospect a mind ready for a brutal disappointment at the end and yet there comes a time when something does not just live up to the expectations, but far exceeds them in almost every way. Lunchbox works at so many levels that it might get unpleasant at times for a casual viewer due to the roller-coaster screenplay where a seemingly comical exchange of dialogues suddenly takes a drop-dead serious turn and you have still not stopped laughing. But all throughout the movie everything appearing comical is in a way dark humor surrounding the landscape of the plot.
The movie explores loneliness in a way radically different from what we are used to in Indian cinema. I was so much reminded of Wong Kar Wai's In Mood for Love throughout the movie. Although the movie doesn't work on the same plot, but the essence has a lot in common. A lonely retiree who has reached the brink of his active adult life with no one to count on in his fading days and a young housewife caught in the bustle of fast life in the 21st century where an early child seems to have created a huge void in the household. The movie sets off with a very gloomy undertone in the rain drenched by-lanes of Mumbai. Ritesh Batra brings out the melancholy and solitude in the life of these two people through the Mumbai dabbawalla network and it's so natural and so simplistic that it works out very well.
He has not built the movie into a conventional love story, but like I said, it reminded me so much of 'In the Mood for Love'. And the screenplay and narrative leaves a lot at the viewer's prerogative. The relationship between Irfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur is somewhat like what Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson had in 'Lost in Translation'. There are so many open ended threads in the story and there is no attempt made at justifying or unnecessarily elaborating them. It redifines love in a way we don't see in Hindi cinema usually and then lets the viewers take their own pick how they want to leave with the story.The editing is very crisp and very tight. Honestly, the movie as a whole was a huge surprise and the experience just gets better.
The performances makeup and locations are perfectly suited for the story. The movie brings out Mumbai on the screen in a way that perfectly suits it. Apparently heirless Irfan Khan's huge lonely house in high bustle of Bandra, or the young couple's small budget flat where although you can shout out and talk to the neighbour above, yet strange loneliness thrives and drives a housewife to discuss her family problems with a complete stranger though lunch boxes. The longing for good old past on part of both loners is very well showcased. The movie works very well. Performance wise Irfan Khan is brilliant like always. An exceptional follow-up to Pan Singh Tomar. He plays out a 60 year old so well, that Naseeruddin Shan might've already called up his agent to drop a couple hundred thousands off his asking price. Nimrat Kaur does full justice to her role as the lonely housewife. Nawazzundin Sidiqui plays out a role different from what we have now got used to off late. But it's the story and the way that it has been executed that makes it all the more brilliant.
It's good to know that there are people like Ritesh Batra who are doing some remarkable work in the otherwise mediocre Hindi cinema of today. What was even more surprising was to find Karan Johar as one of the producers. This one act of his has suddenly improved his stature in my books. It was disappointing to know that this movie was turned down in favor of 'The Good Road' as official Indian entry for Oscars. Definitely a stupid decision, as I do not see any reason why Lunchbox wouldn't have gone one to win the award.
A must watch for anyone who has given up on Hindi cinema.
The movie explores loneliness in a way radically different from what we are used to in Indian cinema. I was so much reminded of Wong Kar Wai's In Mood for Love throughout the movie. Although the movie doesn't work on the same plot, but the essence has a lot in common. A lonely retiree who has reached the brink of his active adult life with no one to count on in his fading days and a young housewife caught in the bustle of fast life in the 21st century where an early child seems to have created a huge void in the household. The movie sets off with a very gloomy undertone in the rain drenched by-lanes of Mumbai. Ritesh Batra brings out the melancholy and solitude in the life of these two people through the Mumbai dabbawalla network and it's so natural and so simplistic that it works out very well.
He has not built the movie into a conventional love story, but like I said, it reminded me so much of 'In the Mood for Love'. And the screenplay and narrative leaves a lot at the viewer's prerogative. The relationship between Irfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur is somewhat like what Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson had in 'Lost in Translation'. There are so many open ended threads in the story and there is no attempt made at justifying or unnecessarily elaborating them. It redifines love in a way we don't see in Hindi cinema usually and then lets the viewers take their own pick how they want to leave with the story.The editing is very crisp and very tight. Honestly, the movie as a whole was a huge surprise and the experience just gets better.
The performances makeup and locations are perfectly suited for the story. The movie brings out Mumbai on the screen in a way that perfectly suits it. Apparently heirless Irfan Khan's huge lonely house in high bustle of Bandra, or the young couple's small budget flat where although you can shout out and talk to the neighbour above, yet strange loneliness thrives and drives a housewife to discuss her family problems with a complete stranger though lunch boxes. The longing for good old past on part of both loners is very well showcased. The movie works very well. Performance wise Irfan Khan is brilliant like always. An exceptional follow-up to Pan Singh Tomar. He plays out a 60 year old so well, that Naseeruddin Shan might've already called up his agent to drop a couple hundred thousands off his asking price. Nimrat Kaur does full justice to her role as the lonely housewife. Nawazzundin Sidiqui plays out a role different from what we have now got used to off late. But it's the story and the way that it has been executed that makes it all the more brilliant.
It's good to know that there are people like Ritesh Batra who are doing some remarkable work in the otherwise mediocre Hindi cinema of today. What was even more surprising was to find Karan Johar as one of the producers. This one act of his has suddenly improved his stature in my books. It was disappointing to know that this movie was turned down in favor of 'The Good Road' as official Indian entry for Oscars. Definitely a stupid decision, as I do not see any reason why Lunchbox wouldn't have gone one to win the award.
A must watch for anyone who has given up on Hindi cinema.