Big cities like Mumbai have a way of turning its survivors into parts of a larger machinery. Lunchbox is a story of two such lives who have lost their freedom and sense of existence to the routine that consumes them. Unhappy and alone, they find solace in each other’s company through a seemingly miraculous mistake by that very system. The pace of the film is controlled by the characters who slowly wake up to their lives and attempt to break free from their self-induced monotony. Director Ritesh Batra used ‘Lunchbox’ as a metaphor for the confined lives of the protagonists and at no point attempted to misguide the audience with pointless cinematic gestures. In support of that, expert portrayal by the film’s talented cast made sure that Lunchbox was not dismissed as just another festival film.
Director – Ritesh Batra
