Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
‘The heart wants what it wants, there’s no logic’- Woody Allen
The typical Indian lunch carrier has three or four boxes stacked on top of each other, firmly clasped and tightly sealed. The contents would vary depending on taste but invariably would be a mix of Rice, Dal, Curry and in the case of this film, a slice of life!
Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) is a widower, approaching retirement in Mumbai. Ira (Nimrat Kaur) is a homemaker and mother of one. Both seem to be going through a lonely phase in life, Saajan due to his wife’s demise and Ira due to her husband Rajiv’s (Nakul Vaid) apparent disinterest in their family life and suspected extra marital affair. Saajan’s and Ira’s paths cross in the most improbable manner when the generally indubitable Dabbawalas of Mumbai deliver Ira’s box meant for Rajiv to Saajan instead. Ira and Saajan start interacting as a result of this, through notes delivered along with the lunch box and develop a keen friendship. Though they have not met in person yet, they enjoy telling each other about their daily life and sharing nostalgic details about their personal past. Will Saajan and Ira break stereotypical moulds and meet to take their bond forward? Well, what is this bond anyway? The director does a brilliant job of building the tension up as the film draws to a close.
The highlight of the script is definitely the way the characters have been written. You fall in love with each one of them, even those who you don’t see on screen at all like Ira’s wily old neighbour Mrs Deshpande! The key trait of any great film is also the transformation that their characters undergo over the course of the story. Saajan not just transforms but seems to be re-born as the film concludes and Ira finally overcomes her fears to start leading life on her own terms. The film also features international technicians handling key departments. Michael Simmonds, John F Lyons and Max Richter have ensured that their cinematography, editing and score bring out the mood of the film and also the local flavours of Mumbai to great effect. This film is a must watch and satisfies your appetite on all counts!
This film is available to view on Netflix at the time of writing this. So if you haven’t seen it yet, do try to catch it there or when it is telecast on any other television channel!
Overall rating: 4/5
