The Lunchbox

Let’s get all the culinary metaphors out of the way, shall we? Ritesh Batra’s sweet, tasteful film is a slice of emotional nourishment; a subtly savoury romance with a hint of sociological spice; a flavourful drama with warm humour and a side-serving of rich insight. It’s chicken soup for the cinema-goer soul, and a can of Pringles to the pun-loving critic. Once you pop, you can’t stop.

Luckily, The Lunchbox inspires as much praise as it does over-streteched metaphor. Starring the sublime Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, HBO’s In Treatment) and Nimrat Kaur, this gentle romance explores loneliness, marriage, friendship, aging, class systems and the isolation of modern society – while remaining genuinely moving and frequently hilarious.

When neglected housewife Ila (Kaur) attempts to kickstart her marriage by preparing delectable lunches for her husband, one of Mumbai’s 5,000 lunch couriers mistakenly delivers it to Saajan (Khan); a cantankerous office worker on the verge of retirement. The two begin to exchange notes via the misplaced lunchbox, and their increasingly intimate correspondence reveals the depth of their loneliness, and desire for connection.

Khan has always been a fascinating actor and his talents are on beautiful display here. His transformation from a dry melancholic to a man rich with hope is effortless. His droll, deadpan humour plays brilliantly against the relentless eagerness of Sajaan’s trainee Nawazuddin Siddiqui, whose bright-eyed cheer eventually proves infectious.

Batra innately understands space, shooting Ila through doorways and lines of washing to emphasise her domestic confinement. Likewise, Sajaan’s journeys on jam-packed commuter cars show him trapped by a society where everyone is connected, but not connecting.

Perfectly crafted and never pandering, The Lunchbox employs wit, charm and insight to illustrate one of life’s simple truths: in order to become unstuck, one has to reach out. It’s a lesson to be shared, and savoured. (Sorry.)