The Lunchbox

In The Lunchbox, a one-in-a-million mix-up with Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a neglected housewife (Nimrat Kaur) with a curmudgeonly accountant (Irrfan Khan) on the verge of retirement.  What follows is a series of increasingly honest hand-written notes through which the two strangers find a new lease of life.

Don’t be fooled by what is, on paper, a somewhat cheesy premise: this isn’t Bollywood. No, the debut feature from Indian writer/director Ritesh Batra is a bitter-sweet romance that offers cinéma vérité-style realism, good-natured humour and relatable characters as well as thoughtful observations on the human condition, including the value of companionship.

The Lunchbox is a charming little drama that will leave viewers in high spirits, with an insatiable hankering for a spicy curry. (JH)

**** /5