The Lunchbox - A dose of awesomeness

The tagline of The Lunchbox asks - Can you fall in love with someone you haven’t met?

The answer is an emphatic yes! The movie not only tells us the story of this epistolary romantic relationship but also makes us part of these people's lives. Nuanced performances, a love that is extraordinary in its most ordinary form, this Lunchbox satiates us with the delectable dish of human emotions of loneliness, nostalgia, love and hope!

Replete with eloquent silences, it speaks louder than any melodramatic movie and its characters reach out to us in more ways than one. The movie's protagonists are ordinary people and their mundane lives. Repetition, routine, monotony, loneliness, disillusionment and nostalgia are pivotal and persistent. The characters get etched with such intricacy in our hearts that we can relate to their simple day to lives and struggles. The introvert Saajan, played by Irrfan Khan is awe inspiring. The depths of emotion that this man can make one feel are beyond expression. He’s mostly quiet and particular at work. An old man about to retire, coming to terms with his lonely life. A loner. It is only when he interacts with Ila (Nimrat Kaur) that we get a sneak peek of the different dimensions of his character – a man with inner conflicts. Nostalgia gets the better of him as he misses his dead wife, recalling the days when he would stand outside smoking, looking at his wife through the window while she laughed watching ‘Ye Jo Hai Zindagi’ on television. We too are hit by nostalgia as we get glimpses of the old world charm through letters (sigh), old TV series on DVD, songs played on Auntie’s cassettes, present throughout the movie.

In stark contrast to the introvert Saajan is his junior Sheikh (brought to life by the awesome Nawazuddin Siddiqui). His intruding ways and annoying presence in Saajan’s life is frustrating initially. Gradually, as his character unfolds, he turns into the most endearing character in the movie. His relationship with Mehrunissa - his girlfriend (later wife) is beautiful. I loved the part when Saajan asks him for how long have they been married and he answers nonchalantly with an innocence only natural to people who can love with all their heart, saying that sometimes it seems it’s been 25-35 years of togetherness, while at other times, it seems like they just met yesterday. Sheikh might appear cheesy to some, but all I saw was a man dripping of honesty and affection. It’s natural for an orphan who paved his way out in the big bad world to long for the love of a guardian or a mentor he can refer to as family. The friendship that the two men develop later is achingly beautiful. Words don't suffice when I think of the sequence when Saajan is sitting in a taxi, about to leave from Sheikh's wedding (and later for Nashik). You can only know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie.

Ila, the young housewife who’s trying hard to revive her marriage by taking extra effort to cook delicious lunches for her husband with the help of her neighbour auntie. We never get to see auntie. We only hear the lovely distinct voice of Bharti Achrekar who helps Ila with cooking as well as relationship tips. Ila is troubled and disillusioned but still full of hope. She wants to live in Bhutan as the country seems as a promise of happiness (because her daughter was taught at school that Bhutan had something called Gross Domestic Happiness instead of GDP). She finds a confidante in Saajan, a friend to share her agony, a person who understands loneliness, whose words comfort her when there’s nothing left in her life to look forward to.

The movie showcases Mumbai in a very significant way. The daily life of a city dweller, the struggles, the aspirations, locals, dabbawallas, middle class families – these are all aspects that bring the movie to life in very subtle ways.

What I loved the most about The Lunchbox was the end. Unexpected. Abrupt. One is left craving for more and smiling with a sense of wonder. Ritesh Batra’s debut is a heartwarming experience and certainly one of the best movies this year.

**The Magic that is Mumbai**

"All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim." - Christopher Morley

Photograph: Animesh Dutta

Charmed by the sheer swagger of the city that I still love to call Bombay, I step out to capture the mundane streets whose charisma lured me, especially during the night. The dimlit streets looked subtly magnificent in the backdrop of the rains, which happens to be my favourite season.

Photograph: Yashnashree

The Marine Drive defines Mumbai in more ways than one.   

It engulfs the attention of one and all. Though the Queen’s Necklace is the obvious choice for photography, I chose to shoot a different perspective of the place. The traffic and speeding vehicles running parallel to the sometimes calm, sometimes agitated sea drew me. The streets of Mumbai attract me due to their contrasting character. The stillness of the sea sometimes gets lost in the hustle-bustle and noise of the street. At other times the tranquility overpowers all the clamour. The streets of Mumbai are a world in themselves. While crossing the same streets everyday, a range of emotions are evoked as I see an array of diverse people, incidents and events that give the street its distict feature. It fills me up with a sense of belongingness and oneness with the city. Mumbai’s streets come alive at night and that explains exactly why is Mumbai well known as the city that never sleeps!

 Colours spilt over the street!                             Photograph: Yashnashree

I hereby try to bring out the vivid colours and dynamism of the streets of Mumbai, which have always fascinated a bystander.