Reviews & Ratings for
The Lunchbox (2013)

A city. Two lonely people. Food. and letters. These loose strings are beautifully tied together in a gem of a story. A lonely housewife who has lots to tell but none to share with-she works endlessly to please an indifferent husband-she tries to please him with home-cooked food. But the dabba reached to one lonely old man who is amused by the food he gets everyday. To apologise for her mistake the housewife writes a letter and places it within the dabba-the man reads it and responds. They develop a bond-uncanny yet amusing.
What the story appears to be the story, is just the surface. What lies beneath is a haunting tale of human loneliness and the frustrating experience of mundane lives.Nimrat Kaur is splendid as the housewife in her antics,her simplicity and her actions. Irrfan Khan needs no new applause but this portrayal is haunting and touching at the same time. An unexpected plot progression with a dizzying ending,'The Lunchbox' is one of a kind

Whenever I go to watch bollywood movies, I make up my mind that I have to tolerate one hour of unrelated songs and one hour of illogical story. This movie was not a funny one and was boring sometimes; yet this movie is a must watch.

Only once in a while does a film release that is so beautiful, so engrossing, so intelligent and so well crafted, that it becomes impossible to avert your eyes from it. The Lunchbox is one such rare film that must be seen to inhale its genius and beauty.


The beauty of this film lies not in the story but in the telling of it which sweeps you off your feet and transports you into a world where words and a Dabba(tiffin-box) pulls two strangers together. One of them is Sajan Fernandez (Irrfan), a widower who is on the verge of his retirement. He is a lonely man who is isolated from the world at his own will as if he no longer wishes to be a part of it. The other stranger is a married woman, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), whose husband has lost interest in her. She wants to be a part of his life but he seems to not care. In a bid to win her husband's heart, Ila, one fine afternoon cooks his favorite meal but the local Dabbawala's of Mumbai makes a beautiful mistake by delivering the tiffin to Sajan's office.
The letter thus acts as a catalyst for a timeless romance between these two lonely and desperate souls. But this is not a Rom-Com even though the plot sounds like it, far from it. Writer, director Ritesh Batra cleverly uses this simple plot and weaves a beautiful, grieving, and witty tale of lonely hearts. Apart from these two central characters, two more characters are caught in between this romance. One is the voice of a neighborhood woman, Deshpande Aunty (Bharati Achrekar) who lives above Ila. She never appears on-screen but she acts as a fairy godmother to Ila. Another is, Aslam (a terrific Nawazuddin) a trainee who will replace Sajan. He is a fellow who becomes friends with Sajan. Irrfan Khan delivers his best performance as a loner widower. His simplistic performance speaks volumes. There's a scene in which he eats food all alone while reading a book. That scene alone will break your heart. It is a revelation. Matching shoulders with his tall talent is the debutant Nimrat Kaur, who plays Ila with a rare innocence that it becomes impossible to not root for her. She presents Ila with beautiful dignity and makes herself one with the character. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a revelation in the role of Aslam. He is the sole character who provides some comic relief to the story. It is his presence that ultimately saves the film from becoming dull. Ritesh Batra debuts with a rare romance that leaves you with a lump in your throat while making you smile throughout the film. I am going with 5 stars. A masterpiece indeed!

The movie portrays the story of Ila, a frustated house wife who wants to please his rash husband by packing the best meal in his lunchbox. Nothing exciting and firey in her life, Ila's life takes an 180-degree turn when one day her Dubba has been misplaced to Saajan, a widower, living in his own wit and humor. From one accidental misplaced lunchbox, the story initiates of the two different lives, connecting on every emotional aspect one could think of.


"The Lunchbox" is a 2013 movie which is directed by debutant director Ritesh Batra and produced by Anurag Kashyap and the team. Batra has kept the movie sweet and simple which makes the auroma of the film. On the other hand, gem star cast Late Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done the extraordinary work by being true to their own acting skills. Strongly held by the supporting actors, The Lunchbox is a movie that is far beyond the timeline it has been released in and a must watch for the viewers.

At first I must say before watching this movie I had quite many doubts that whether should I watchi this movie or not. But after watching it I realized that its the most underrated movie I ever saw. This movie has #beautiful and #emotional storyline. Its a #mustWatch as its very #sweet and simple. It doesn't have all those sassy songs or absurd scenes , its just a descent potrayal of a part of life which is just very untouched. Such roles can only be managed by Irrfan Khan. I can never think of any other person except him who would fit into this role. It is a #bestOfRomance that takes place in Mumbai, but its style is more Hollywood(strictly mentioning OLD HOLLYWOOD) than Bollywood and that is what makes this movie #offbeat .

This is a real life drama. A true food for soul for those who watch art films frequently. The genuine sequence of events and the reality of the ending makes this movie very close to reality. A very simple and real movie. The viewer will easily relate to the movie throughout. For people looking masala and full-on bollywood, this is not the movie. Masala lovers might find this movie a little slow. This movie will be a delight for those who love art movies and enjoys the feels a little more than others.

watching regular stuff doesn't get right,some times wathcing the movies out of box are a certain relief,luch box is such one,the storyline simple yet beautiful,this flick bends on emotions,daily life,relations everthing a busy life gets or not,but dont expect too much,if the story is to be said in one line its about a regular house wife accidentally meets a ordinary person through exchanging letters in a lunch box.The film has the finest actors and finest performances too,there not too many characters to count ,but you can count on character performances,this movie is fair enough to recommend someone to watch,not a movie to leave behind also not a must watch if you insist.

Middle class housewife Ila is trying once again to add some spice to her marriage, this time through her cooking. She desperately hopes that this new recipe will finally arouse some kind of reaction from her neglectful husband. She prepares a special lunchbox to be delivered to him at work, but, unbeknownst to her, it is mistakenly delivered to another office worker, Saajan, a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Curious about the lack of reaction from her husband, Ila puts a little note in the following day's lunchbox, in the hopes of getting to the bottom of the mystery. This begins a series of lunchbox notes between Saajan and Ila, and the mere comfort of communicating with a stranger anonymously soon evolves into an unexpected friendship. Gradually, their notes become little confessions about their loneliness, memories, regrets, fears, and even small joys. They each discover a new sense of self and find an anchor to hold on to in the big city of Mumbai that so often crushes hopes and dreams. Still strangers physically, Ila and Saajan become lost in a virtual relationship that could jeopardize both their realities