A CHANCE MEETING WITH THE LUNCHBOX

The Lunchbox is a narrative feature written and produced in 2013 by Ritesh Batra, an Indian born filmmaker. It is rated as a PG film and is narrated mostly in Hindi and in some English with English subtitles. The film was first screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival when it was awarded the Critics Week Viewer’s Choice Award. Thereafter, it was shown in 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival and in 2014, it formed part of the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival. In 2015 The Lunchbox gained a spot on the nomination list in the “Film Not in English Language” category of the British Academy Film Awards.
The sequence of events in The Lunchbox takes place in modern day Mumbi, India. The main characters include a young wife, a young husband, an aging pen pal and an off-screen Aunt. Common marital issues triggered by an uninterested and mostly absent husband forces the wife to take action to rekindle romance and happiness in her marriage.  She undertakes this quest by cooking tasty meals and sending them by a dabbawala to her husband. 

Surprised to find that the food is not reaching her husband she is forced to write the consumer in an attempt to find out where the food is being delivered. However, instead of notifying the dabbawala of the error she becomes pen pals with the consumer and they decided to meet. Meeting arrangements fall apart but the wife indicates her intention to leave the marriage to pursue happiness.

Set around the Metropolitan city, the director is successful in capturing its chaotic atmosphere as he takes particular interest in presenting the busy streets of Mumbai, India. His emphasis on sound, created by the ever present noise of the subway trains as well as cinematic shots of the dabbawalas hastening to complete their lunchtime deliveries, all contribute to the film’s time and place. Mumbai’s dense population is not only viewed by the crowded streets and offices of the city but Batra closely defines this area where Deshpande Auntie who lives in the apartment above Ila’s, is able to hear her when she gives an almost faint chuckle after reading about Saajan’s “things are not always as they seem” encounter on the subway. Batra additionally uses dialogue to express the film’s period. One indication of this occurs when Saajan is reading one of Ila’s letters and Shaikh says to him that nowadays everybody uses email. The director includes subtle dimensions to the film’s context which adds to its authenticity. Mumbai’s social environment shows a society which is sacrificing family life and community for economic advancement. This is reinforced as Saajan’s laments that “there is no place for talent in this country” and that everybody wants what someone else has. Central to the movie’s socio-economic framework are the dabbawalas, which is a lunch delivery system, unique to India. Although it is evidenced that the growing city may be shifting in values, the originality of the dabbawala system is a testament to Mumbai’s innovative spirit. The dabbawala’s prideful assertion that - “Delivery guys don’t make mistakes…. Harvard people came and did a study on us… The king of England has also come, he has seen our delivery system…” bares Batra’s initial interest in documenting the lives of these food delivery men.Although an urbanized state, the Mumbai of Batra’s film clings to its country’s traditions. The singing of traditional songs and Shaikh wedding are both examples of Indian cultural experiences. It is visible that Mumbai’s culture adheres to the patriarchal rule. Her mother objects to her financial assistance because it does not look nice since they are the “girl’s side”.   Moreover, Ila’s role as wife and mother, while it is void of certain cultural constraints, her mother’s routine of “breakfast, medicine, bath” shows that even in modern Mumbai, their lives are still outlined by the principles of the wider society. Deshpande Auntie’s cooking remedies and her preservation of the old cassettes further links the traditions of the past with the present day Mumbai, India.  Both Ila and Saajan bare a common struggle of being "othered", which the director alludes to by the experiences they share unknown to each other. Ila’s struggle to win the love and attention of her husband is the driving conflict and causes her to feel lonely. Despite his distance and  unwillingness to communicate, she tries to counter this by preparing meals for him and hopes that according to Saajan, having another child would bring them closer. When she suspects that he is having an affair, likewise she concedes, lacking the courage to confront him. Saajan also faces a similar conflict, where he is figured as social recluse. The audience gets a true sense of his isolation as he sits alone at lunch and at home he stares at a family, through the window of the apartment opposite his; he is always the outsider unable to be a part of the life happening around. Batra’s camera techniques especially in the lunchroom scenes separate Saajan from his colleagues. He only realizes his desire to belong to someone as his relationship with Ila grows. This sets out a change in Saajan, which the director emphasizes by no longer allowing Saajan stand out but after a while he takes effort to blend in with those around him. He also no longer fights against being teacher to Shaikh and even assumes the role as surrogate parent at his wedding. The Lunchbox is not just a romantic story of a chance meeting  and exchanged notes but is a brilliant take on the changing values the Mumbai society. 

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