The Lunchbox is a 2013 Indian film directed by Ritesh Batra. The movie stars Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles. The story is set in Mumbai, where the city's famous lunchbox delivery system, also known as the "Dabbawallahs," is shown. The dabbawallahs are responsible for delivering over 200,000 lunch boxes to people in Mumbai on a daily basis.
The movie revolves around a young housewife named Ila, played by Nimrat Kaur. Ila is struggling to get attention from her husband, who is too busy with his own life to notice her. One day, Ila sends a lunchbox to her husband through the dabbawallahs, but it gets delivered to the wrong person. The lunchbox is received by a lonely accountant named Saajan Fernandes, played by Irrfan Khan, who enjoys the food and sends back an empty lunchbox the following day.
Ila realizes that her husband is not eating the food she is sending, and she begins to send notes in the lunchbox to Saajan. They start exchanging notes every day, and gradually, a friendship develops between them. Through their notes, they share their hopes, dreams, and daily struggles, and a special bond forms between them.
However, as their friendship grows, it starts to threaten their reality. Saajan is a man in the dusk of his life, and he is set to retire soon. Ila, on the other hand, is a young woman who is full of dreams and aspirations. Their notes begin to transport them into a fantasy world, where they can escape their mundane lives. But as their relationship deepens, they must decide whether to take their friendship to the next level or leave it as it is.
The Lunchbox is a heartwarming story that showcases the power of human connection and the importance of taking risks in life. The movie was critically acclaimed and won several awards, including the Viewers' Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
