Irfan Khan's ' THE LUNCHBOX ' reveals the harsh realities of a mediocre life - Movies worth watching
Updated: Apr 13, 2021
Dialogue of the day
" कभी कभी गलत ट्रेन भी सही जगह पहुंचा देती है" - The lunchbox
"Kabhi kabhi galat train bhi sahi jagah pahucha deti hai." - The lunchbox
The beauty of Irfan Khan's "The lunchbox" lies in how it captures 'mediocre' lives in the city of Mumbai. Mr. Fernandes lives a fairly normal life ; he travels in the Mumbai local , works from 9 to 5 and eats average food from a restaurant nearby his house. Mr. Fernandes is the epitome of a mediocre , lonely person living in a metropolitan city. Often he stands in the balcony observing his neighbors eat their meal together. Fernandes is full of regret for not spending the time he could with his wife. The concept of 'regretting' not spending time with a person while they were around is not confined to the movie but also translates to real life. I'll quote something John Green said , " You can never love a person as much as you can miss them." Relevant , isn't it?
The second character , Ila played by Nimrat Kaur is of an ordinary housewife. She does the daily chores , cooks food and has little to do with the outside world. She has less or probably no friends and only interacts with her neighbour. At times , she prepares a cup of tea and sips it slowly alone , probably the only time she relaxes herself. She is aware of her husband's affair yet chooses to stay shut about it. Often she wonders about the notions of happiness and how she can achieve it. Once her daughter told her that Bhutan was a happy country and instantly she felt this desire to settle in Bhutan.
The letters by the stranger invoked a sense of curiosity in Ila; the letters were actually the only 'happening' part of the day. Also , she felt ecstatic when her food was praised.
Towards the end Ila sold her jewellery to settle in Bhutan just because she thought that it was a happier place.
It's funny how we all crave happiness and try to search for it everywhere. You don't find happiness, you create it. A hindi phrase accurately defines this phenomena " हीर लिए दिल में , हीर ढूंदे वीराने में।"
Ila found her small moment of happiness in the letters she received from the stranger in a lunchbox. However , this happiness of hers wasn't long lived.
The third important character was played by Nawazzudin Siddiqui. His character was that of a determined yet less skilled intern who finds it difficult to adjust in a new work environment yet comes to the work place each day with a smile; ready to struggle again. Nawazzudin's character reminds us to be contented with whatever we have to live a better life. He made the best out of all situations - he even saved the travelling time by chopping vegetables in that time.
The three characters are very much similar to the people we see in the daily course of life. The problems they face are relevant in the modern times. The movie recognizes the 'ordinary' which is often ignored in the quintessential Bollywood movies.
'The lunchbox' ends abruptly and we can only guess what happens after that.
IMDb rating - 7.8/10
The film is a MUST WATCH!