The Lunchbox is a movie that serves some wonderful starters and offers a sumptuous main course. However the wait for desserts is way too long and when you are ready for that, the items are not even revealed.
Alas, it makes you feel, pet toh bhar gaya, par mann nahi.
Though this movie has been touted as a return to Hrishikesh Mukherjee brand of cinema, the fact is it belongs more to the new wave cinema that was more evident in the late 70s and early 80s. A major part of the narrative is punctuated by long pauses, several static shots with the principle characters not in the frame, the sound design transcends through scenes and dialogs as well as dialog delivery stays natural to the core.
A natural act by three key protagonists, Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, holds this 100-minute movie together, though the movie seems much longer. One may attribute that to the leisurely pace of the movie, which is understandable, considering the genre. There are repetitive scenes as well but when the entire premise is centered on Irrfan and Nimrat communicating via letters stuffed beneath rotis, that too can be excused.
Meanwhile, Irrfan continues to marvel like always. The reluctance, aloofness, tenderness, realization of self worth, battle between matters of heart and mind is brought together marvelously by the man who is going through some terrific form. Nimrat Kaur plays the part of a bored housewife very well. She is natural to the core and same holds true for Nawaz. He is the comic relief of the movie and is excellent in practically every scene that he appears.
(Above): Nimrat Kaur in “The Lunchbox.”
While the base is set really well for the movie, it’s the wait for the twist in the tale that, surprisingly never comes. This in fact is that part of the movie where it isn’t an exciting suspense build up but an extended wait for the finale which takes its own sweet time, hence resulting in a sense of ‘something is missing.’ The climax falls in this category as well as everything is left open for interpretation. While critically this may appear to be a masterstroke, one wonders whether the general audience would be happy to see the movie end the way it eventually does.
There are some genuine heart-warming and chuckle-worthy sequences that come in. (Spoilers ahead) Nawaz’s constant persuasion with Irrfan, Irrfan complaining of less salt in the food, duo being reprimanded by the boss, Irrfan’s longing for reading the letters, his relief on knowing that Nimrat and her daughter are safe - so many things work in the movie.
However just when one was looking forward to some twist in the tale, there is none whatsoever that indeed makes one feel if those couple of hours gone behind have really been well spent. Watch it, but mainly for the performances of the three actors. The starter and main course are the only courses served here.
Desserts? Maybe, next time.
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