THE LUNCHBOX

Ila a young Indian housewife feels totally neglected by her husband and so her older upstairs neighbor suggests that to put some spice back into her marriage she should start with spicing up his food. Everyday she prepares a lunch box that is picked by one of Mumbai’s 5000 plus white coated ‘dabbawallahs’ who, through a very intricate system that involves bike and trains, deliver them to people’s desks in the heart of the city. As infallible as the ancient traditional system is lauded to be, for once it goes wrong and instead of reaching her spouse’s desk it lands on that of a Mr Fernandes a widowed office worker nearing his retirement.

Ila soon discovers that her food has been eaten by a stranger by the mere fact that he literally licked the containers clean and is obviously much keener on her cooking than her complacent husband has ever been.  So next day she includes a brief note, and to her delight receives one back with the container that night.  The brief notes of thanks and mild criticism that follow soon begin a regular correspondence that quickly evolves from exchanging pleasantries to actually trading the type of very personal confidences which people feel more comfortable doing with perfect strangers.

Mr Fernandes has been a loner since his wife’s death and his life revolves around the same desk he has sat at for the past 35 years filing Claims.  He has no friends amongst his work colleagues, and back at his apartment building even the neighborhood children steer clear of him.  Now that he is about to stop working his boss has asked him to train an irrepressible chatty young man who irritates the life out of him.  This replacement is impervious to the cold-shoulder treatment he gets and insists on trying to get as closer to his new mentor as possible.  

As the notes in the lunchbox keep coming every day, Ilo shares that she is now convinced that her husband who is rarely home is definitely having an affair, and wants out of her marriage.  Mr Fernandes agrees to meet her one day in the City for lunch, but chickens out when he catches sight of her from afar and is brought up very sharp that their age difference is much more significant than he had imagined.  They have both been clinging to the dream of a new life and a new beginning even though beyond a few daily notes, they knew hardly anything about each other.

There is something extremely refreshing to this sentimental romance that has such an old-fashioned feel to it.  Even though it is shot on location in the heart of a very contemporary bustling city its perhaps the whole notion that something as quaint as the lunchbox system still flourishes even today. Mr Fernades is played by Irrfan Khan (Adult Pi in The Life of Pi) with a perfect hangdog expressionless face as he is resigned just to put up with the rather empty life that had been doled out to him.  A relatively unknown Nimrat Kaur is perfect as Ilo whose guide through life is the unseen ‘Aunty’ who doles out her sanguine advice by shouting down from the upstairs window.  Ilo and Fernandes are just two lonely souls perfect for what I guess could be easily described as an Indian take on ‘You’ve Got Mail.’

Quite delightful and a treat to watch unfold.

★★★★★★★★