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The Lunchbox

  • 2013
  • PG
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
64K
YOUR RATING
Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in The Lunchbox (2013)
A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an old man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality.
Play trailer2:06
8 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaRomance

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through ... Read allA mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox.A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox.

  • Director
    • Ritesh Batra
  • Writers
    • Ritesh Batra
    • Vasan Bala
  • Stars
    • Irrfan Khan
    • Nimrat Kaur
    • Nawazuddin Siddiqui
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    64K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ritesh Batra
    • Writers
      • Ritesh Batra
      • Vasan Bala
    • Stars
      • Irrfan Khan
      • Nimrat Kaur
      • Nawazuddin Siddiqui
    • 273User reviews
    • 186Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 30 wins & 46 nominations total

    Videos8

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:06
    Theatrical Trailer
    All About Nimrat Kaur
    Clip 1:39
    All About Nimrat Kaur
    All About Nimrat Kaur
    Clip 1:39
    All About Nimrat Kaur
    Clip
    Clip 1:03
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:22
    Clip
    The Lunchbox: Wrong Address (US)
    Clip 1:03
    The Lunchbox: Wrong Address (US)
    The Lunchbox: Life Is Busy (US)
    Clip 0:55
    The Lunchbox: Life Is Busy (US)

    Photos113

    View Poster
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    + 109
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    Top cast40

    Edit
    Irrfan Khan
    Irrfan Khan
    • Saajan Fernandes
    Nimrat Kaur
    Nimrat Kaur
    • Ila
    Nawazuddin Siddiqui
    Nawazuddin Siddiqui
    • Shaikh
    Lillete Dubey
    Lillete Dubey
    • Ila's Mother
    Nakul Vaid
    Nakul Vaid
    • Rajeev
    Bharti Achrekar
    Bharti Achrekar
    • Auntie
    Yashvi Puneet Nagar
    • Yashvi
    Denzil Smith
    Denzil Smith
    • Mr. Shroff
    Shruti Bapna
    Shruti Bapna
    • Mehrunnisa
    Nasir Khan
    Nasir Khan
    • Ila's Father
    Lokesh Raj
    • Duke's Owner
    Sadashiv Kondaji Pokarkar
    • Dabbawallah at Ila's House
    Aarti Rathod
    • Saajan's Neighbor
    Krishna Bai
    • Toothless Woman
    Raj Rishi More
    • Ila's Brother
    Santosh Kumar Chaurasiya
    • Autorickshaw Driver
    Avijit Khanwilkar
    • Young Man in Train
    Aakash Sinha
    • Autorickshaw 2
    • Director
      • Ritesh Batra
    • Writers
      • Ritesh Batra
      • Vasan Bala
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews273

    7.863.7K
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    Featured reviews

    8ravi-cramchandani

    Subtle, simple and refreshingly fresh

    The first glimpse of the movie , promises you that it is't a 'just another regular bollywood movie', its refreshingly Fresh and New.

    The beauty of the entire film lies in the subtlety, whether be it the story, the the actors, characters their mannerisms(when their lips quiver on getting excited, their long and deep searching eyes, the half smiles on the edges, when Ila first time presumes her husband to have an extra-marital affair). Again all of these things are very much there without they saying it explicitly so.

    Very rarely you come across a movie that moves at a comfortable pace, not trying to either rush or stagnate itself at any point. The TG for this movie is definitely not people across all age groups as the producers claim, but it's specially for those who are happy or contented without searching for that something extra in their everyday lives. It doesn't talk about any extra ordinary accomplishments of individuals, nor does it talk about destiny, life or happiness. It just talks about very simple human behavior, when it comes to falling in love.

    The end may or may not disappoint you...its very subjective(personally I was a lil), but yea you can tailor your apt end based on whether you are a optimist or a pessimist.
    9ahirjoy

    Extraordinary Story of Ordinary Lives!

    The Lunchbox(Movie -2013) Review - The movie "The Last Samurai" ended with a quote something like "We all seek some small measure of peace, and few of us ever find". After many years "The Lunchbox", a movie from a completely different background and culture echoed the same thought to my ears, really it is never too late to start your life again. You can expect the movie will be a gem as you have the two best character-artists of this decade – Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the lead roles. However I didn't expect Nimrat Kaur will also give such an awesome performance as I never followed her before except "Cadbuy Dairy Milk-Silk adds", and I apologize for my ignorance sincerely! Nimrat was equally great. This movie can be an excellent demonstration of what extraordinary performance really means in any acting-learning institute of any part of the world, trust me on this!!!

    The start of the story - A frustrated housewife prepares an excellent lunch for her husband with great care. But unfortunately (or fortunately!), it reaches to an equally lonely person on the verge of retirement - Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) whose wife died long back. This simple cross connection by Mumbai Dubbawalas in the age of digital era starts a beautiful and interesting romantic relationship however ending of which has been kept open-ended for our own imagination. At the same time we can see an excellent equation and emotional turmoil building up between Saajan /Irrfann, the serious and lonely parting boss and Shaikh/Nawazuddin, his future replacement, who is funny and enthusiastic and quiet opposite to his boss.In some cases Nawazuddin has overshadowed Irfann too! The direction was superb, specially the depiction of the supply chain of the Mumbai Dabbawalas through the city is just extraordinary.Hats-off Ritesh Batra for his unbelievable first time direction.

    Disclaimer: This movie is 4.5/5 from me, 0.5 is deducted only for its little slow pace , otherwise it in an extraordinary story about very ordinary lives. To me, this movie deserves all the critical appreciations it has received both in India and Outside. Avoid only if you really hate slow paced realistic depiction about everyday common lives of Tom,Dick and Harry and expect only superheroes doing superhuman activities; otherwise this is a "MUST WATCH"!
    8kirankumarfrank

    A Lunchbox to fill you craving for a good Bollywood movie

    Lunchbox review: Note: Don't open this Dabba if you don't like slow paced movies!!

    After a long time i have watched a Bollywood movie where in the movie makes you think about your life and how it can buzz past you before you realize it and that if you don't start to enjoy the small things like the bendi ki sabji, you will be made to eat Aloo Gobi every day (Just kidding) As they say in the movie "Sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right destination" ie Every cloud has a silver lining!!

    The story revolves around a misplaced dabba (Trivia: Dabbawala's supposedly have a low error ratio, i.e "one mistake in 8 million deliveries."!!) Irrfan Khan has done a tremendous job both in acting and narrating the story. Nimrat Kaur(the Dairy Milk Silk girl!! ) and Nawazuddin Siddiqui fit their characters perfectly and have done a wonderful job portraying their roles. The only downside is that the pace of the movie is bit slow. But if they had edited it further it would have been a 1hr episode!

    The Gujarati film "The Good Road" must have been really good to beat this to be the India's entry into the Oscars.

    Rating: I will go with ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ /★★★★★ for this wonderful film.
    10visheshvijay

    Delicious Love Story

    In an age when instant messaging, email, and various social media have made communication easier and quicker, debutant writer-director Ritesh Batra relies on scribbled notes tucked in tiffin boxes to deliver a charming, old-fashioned love story in The Lunchbox. There's a simple line in this sumptuous film that captures its essence beautifully: "Sometimes even the wrong train can take you to the right destination." It's a line that might help interpret the film's open ending, but one that also nicely sums up its unique premise.

    I'm going with ten ratings for The Lunchbox. The greatest love stories are the ones that make you root for the protagonists to come together, despite their destinies. This film illustrates how love transforms the unlikeliest of people; it breaks down Saajan's walls and gives Ila the courage to fly. Treat yourself to The Lunchbox – it'll leave you with a craving to seek your own little happiness. Best film I've seen in a long time. Acting of Irfan 10/10 Film Rating - 10/10

    I believe that this time LunchBox will surely make history in Oscars .
    9senaruni

    a movie to watch... must watch...

    Once Rabindranath Tagore says about 'short stories'...

    "Simple events of life happy or sad,/ Some sad strings from the train of forgetfulness,/ Not fraught with heavy descriptions,/ Not crowded with events,/ No advice, no philosophy/ Only the feeling that the story is not yet over/ Although there is no more to read..."

    'The Lunchbox' is a perfect example of a unique 'short story'. A little love story with some little events and pain... but at the end there is a new beginning.

    The story is about a lonely old widower and a young neglected house wife. They connected through a lunch box and some letters, and share some emotional thought and experience of there daily life with each other. They are totally stranger to each other, but love has found out it's own way to enter.

    There is a basic question about "Love"... 'Is it possible to fall in love between two strangers'? "The Lunchbox" defines it brilliantly... 'Love has no definition and it never follows any rules. So there is a possibility to fall in love with somebody whom we never meet. People loves to fall in 'Love' again and again, it may be someone we know or don't know or whom we already loved with'.

    Irfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are acted very well through out the movie. Direction of Ritesh Batra is just too much perfect. After interval, the movie is a little bit slow, may be it's a situational demand. Overall it's an wonderful experience.

    Lastly, the best part of the movie is 'The Ending'. "Only the feeling that the story is not yet over, although there is no more to read". There is something unspoken in this movie. It depends viewers to viewers, where they actually like to go with "Sajan & Ila".

    Strongly recommend to all cine goers... please watch it...

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to bring authenticity to the role and for knowing each other well enough to share the love and resentment among the couple as per the story in the film, Nimrat Kaur (Ila) and her onscreen husband Nakul Vaid (Rajeev) stayed at the same house as shown in the movie for weeks and spent days extensively rehearsing their part and adjusting to it prior to the other cast members even getting finalized.
    • Goofs
      After his marriage, Shaikh tells Saajan that on their first train ride together he got into the first class compartment without a ticket. However, during their first ride the train seat seen is that of the second class.
    • Quotes

      Saajan Fernandes: I think we forget things if there is nobody to tell them.

    • Connections
      Featured in 59th Idea Filmfare Awards (2014)

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 20, 2013 (India)
    • Countries of origin
      • India
      • France
      • Germany
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official sites
      • Cine Mosaic
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • Chiếc Hộp Lạ Kì
    • Filming locations
      • Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    • Production companies
      • Sikhya Entertainment
      • DAR Motion Pictures
      • National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,235,151
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $44,542
      • Mar 2, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,621,785
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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