The Lunchbox is a great movie and a sweet love story. I only wish there were subtitles in the
theatre version, because I don’t understand much Hindi, and about 70% of the
dialogue is in Hindi and the rest in English. But rest assured, enough emotion
is conveyed without words. I loved the main characters, so real and human and
vulnerable and charming. Irrfan Khan is brilliant as “Saajan Fernandez”, the austere
elderly widower with a secretly good heart.
His loneliness and his nostalgia for his dead wife are evident, but
through it all shines his genuine concern for “Ila” (the young, naïve housewife
played by Nimrat Kaur, who is desperate to win back her husband’s affection and
attention). The love story unfolds ever so subtly, and carries you along at its
slow tranquil pace. Nawazuddin Siddiqui
as “Shaikh”, Saajan’s soon to be replacement at the office, adds an element of
humour and unexpected philosophy at times, firmly believing that “getting on
the wrong train can sometimes lead you to the right destination”! He is brilliant in his role too.
One of the sweetest moments in the film is when Saajan, for
all his worldly wisdom and seriousness, suddenly displays an impulsive and youthful
naivete when he writes to Ila “what if I come with you?”, in response to her plan
to run away to Bhutan with her little daughter.
This act of overlooking age, convention, the fear of rejection, and all
practical reason to follow his heart, endears him to the audience forever.
Another poignant moment is when Saajan suddenly realizes
that he is “old” – his bathroom smells like it used to after his grandfather
had taken a shower; someone offers him (uncle) a seat on the train; he sees Ila
and realizes she is beautiful and young, with her whole life and dreams ahead
of her.
The turning point in the story comes when Ila’s ailing
father dies, and her grief stricken mother can only repeat regretfully how her life had been a
monotony of making breakfast–lunch–dinner, breakfast-lunch-dinner… That’s all her life had come down to, and Ila
suddenly realizes that she is headed for the same fate. And the rest is history!
It’s a beautiful story about real everyday struggles, and how
love and hope are key to getting us through those struggles and difficult situations.
As Saajan philosophically says, “Nothing is ever as bad as it seems”. The movie is bound to leave you with a song
in your heart and a smile on your face.
