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#Post#: 1112--------------------------------------------------
The Lunchbox Review: It's most Optimistic Film Of The Year!
By: I-Luv-Rashi Date: September 20, 2013, 2:07 am
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The Lunchbox review: It’s the most optimistic film of the year
A character in The Lunchbox wistfully notes that if a man who
slipped into coma ten years ago woke up today, he’d be disgusted
with what’s become of the world and he’d rather go back into
coma than live this unspectacular life. However, if that man
watched The Lunchbox, he’d perhaps relinquish his cynicism,
because he’d be filled with hope and a wonderfully upbeat sense
of purpose.
That is the effect that Ritesh Batra’s debut feature has on
you. It is the most optimistic film of the year, and one of the
best. Batra is our very own Ramin Bahrani.
Happiness is relative and nostalgia is a drug – both these
themes jimmy in and out of every scene in The Lunchbox. Yet the
direction is so slight, the film barely even registers as a
film. Batra, working with Bahrani’s director of photography
Michael Simmonds, directs with warmth and affection for his
characters and adds subtle poignancy to their story.
There are no dramatic twists in The Lunchbox and there is
believability to all the characters in it. Moreover it’s a
pleasure to see a Hindi film that exudes a mature portrayal of
adult characters who put their vulnerability on the line. It’s
almost as though Batra made this film for the sole purpose of
changing the rules of Indian cinema.
HTML http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/lunchboxIBN.jpg
Irrfan Khan plays Saajan, an aging grouch nearing the end of his
professional career. Saajan is Carl Fredricksen (from Up)
crossed with Max Goldman (from Grumpy Old Men) and Frank Slade
(from Scent of a Woman).
He’s the neighborhood uncle who stands alone in the balcony and
refuses to return cricket balls when they fall in his garden.
People put up with him, rather than enjoy his company.
His abhorrence for human interaction hilariously contrasts with
his assistant’s (Nawazuddin Siddique) overfriendly nature.
Nimrat Kaur is Ila, a young, unhappily-married woman whose sad,
expressive eyes mirror the life that is passing her by. Apart
from a friend and confidante in her neighbour Mrs Deshpande, Ila
is utterly alone in her contemplative gloom.
Saajan and Ila somehow manage to contact each other via
handwritten notes in a lunch box. It’s a ridiculously romantic
plot device, buoyed by terrific performances from Khan and Kaur.
It is a pleasure to watch these two characters charm each other
with moments of quiet vulnerability. At times, the film even
flirts with the familiar tropes of a miscommunication and that
of the hero running after the girl to win her back, but Batra
somehow finds new ways to prance over the clichés, letting the
story eventually fade out like a cute little daydream. Batra’s
camera, like Saajan, goes through the motions of the world
around him but lingering on details, instead of zipping away.
Nobody in Bollywood does that. Done by a less talented
filmmaker, it would seem indulgent or mundane. Khan has never
been one to dive head first into the golden pond of commercial
success – his roles have skewed formula time and again. It’s as
if he’s afraid of being mediocre and forgotten, and keeps
outdoing himself in every role.
Nimrat’s debut as a leading lady should catapult her to instant
stardom – holding her own opposite Khan requires massive talent.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s extended cameo is charming to say the
least, and Bharati Achrekar’s voicing of Ila’s neighbour is both
hilarious and awesome. There are plenty of moments to treasure
in The Lunchbox, and they’re all small and delicately crafted.
Those looking for romance will swoon with delight as they
discover two lonely people can find a way to make things work.
Even loveless, heartless audiences would probably have to to try
really hard to appear unmoved. In one scene, Saajan notices his
neighbours eating dinner, sitting around a table, passing food
to one another, chattering as families do.
When one of the family members – a little girl who he didn’t let
into his garden to get a misdirected cricket ball – notices he’s
watching, she goes and shuts the window. Later, he eats his
dinner alone. It’s one of the many scenes in The Lunchbox that
make you sigh with gratitude for their emotional whiplash.
That’s when you realise Indian cinema is undergoing a
renaissance, right in front of your eyes.
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