Sep 20, 2013 04:30 PM
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The Lunchbox is Indian cinema at its best! Just over 100 minutes long, it doesn't take you even 5 to delve completely into the narrative and find yourself in sync with the brilliantly sketched characters. This is no slow moving frames kind of an art film. This is made up of a pure engrossing well paced screenplay, where each scene is a gem and worth taking home as a memory.
Ritesh Batra's screenplay is made up of moments straight out of your balcony's view or across your office table or the person standing in front of you during your daily commute or that neighbor you could not care less about. The detailing without being explicit continues to tell you a story that makes you think from the characters' perspectives. That is enough an achievement and hence should take him where Udaan took Motwane.
Irrfan Khan(Mr. Saajan Fernandez) and Nawazuddin(Aslam Shaikh) are rather brands in themselves and we all know it. Their work has reached those places and people that we cannot add to the appreciation or critique their work over one single film. Flawless as expected. However, the applause should go to the casting team as each member of even the ensemble cast leaves an impact. Watch out for Lillette Dubey(Ila's Mother) and an interesting part by Bharati Achrekar(Deshpande Aunty).
Of course Nimrat Kaur's character, Ila is the heart and soul of the film and she has delivered it with immense conviction. It's a huge leap forward for her from all of her previous endeavors. If you feel that you have seen this face long back somewhere, then it was the video of the Kumar Sanu sung Tera Mera Pyar other than the recent Silk chocoloate ad.
The script is rather streamlined and plain but the attention to nuances such as the loneliness explained via a Mr. Fernandez by his balcony smoking, glaring at a family having dinner or the how the gradual development of friendship between Shaikh and Mr. Fernandez takes place and many such moments are what construe that this is good piece of cinema.
Short, sweet, touching and more importantly for a film surrounded by the awards wali laurel leaves all through its promotion, it is thoroughly entertaining!
4 stars easily for the earnest attempt to put together a story with three characters, out of an Indian metro, entwined beautifully and staying convincingly realistic all through.
