The Lunchbox- 8 yrs of flavors

" Sometimes the wrong train takes us to the right destination" 

What would you feel, as a child when you opens your tiffin and finds your favorite food in it? The Lunchbox is a film which can guarantee you such a feeling. Released in 2013, is one of the few films in Bollywood which tells an epistolary romantic story. When you are in a relaxed atmosphere and craves to watch some feel good movies The Lunchbox will not disappoint you. Its a complete different experience from Bollywood which usually have movies with pompous scenes and songs. 

The film starts with the famous Dabbawallas of Mumbai, people who distribute Dabbas(Lunchbox) from houses to offices. A green Lunchbox bag is placed on the table of Saajan Fernadez, a middle- aged widower who is about to move on to the retirement life. Late actor Irrfan Khan plays the role of Saajan Fernadez, who lost heart in every happiness of life and moves on with the busy life of Mumbai. In his bland life, new flavors came with the Lunchbox.The Lunchbox is the last hope of Ila, a housewife who tries every new recipe to impress her husband and win his love.Nimrat Kaur plays the role of Ila who believes that " the way to man's heart goes through his stomach" , and fills the lunchbox with delicacies he like. Fate takes a new turn, when the green bag with lunchbox landed on the table of Saajan. Ila is quiet surprised when the truth lighted upon her, but writes a letter thanking him for having the food. This letter was the first of many letters which Saajan and Ila write each other. The letters contained the Ila's problems in her life and with her husband who started to lose interest in her .Saajan advises and shares his experiences on life and family through his letters . All the letters came to Saajan along with soul stirring flavors.

The film shows a small glimpse of the life in a metropolitan city, its busy days and lonely nights. Every morning its a rat race to catch buses and metros. There is a scene in the film where a roadside painter paints pictures of the street which looks similar at the first look. But the closer look will shows different people in every painting. He paints anything which catches his eyes. Saajan finds himself in one the painting and bought it.

Life of a normal Mumbai employee is shown through Abdul Sheikh, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is a trainee in Saajan's office and ought to take Saajan's position after his retirement. Saajan says in one of his letters that " many people have a banana or two for lunch", and Sheikh is one of them. He is an orphan who struggles very hard for a job in Mumbai. Initial roughness towards Sheikh turned into a beautiful friendship, thanks to Ila's lunchbox. 

Ila's letters gave new purpose to Saajan's life. He looked forward each day to read her letters and taste the food in the lunchbox. He went through old shows his wife used to saw and laughed at. He got back his youth which was lost somewhere in his life. In a scene, when Sheikh's wife asks to him about his wife, he replies that his wife passed away, but he has a girlfriend, Ila. 

 Life was not easy for Ila. The only companion she had apart from her daughter was Mrs. Despande, a middle aged woman living in the top floor. Her recipes, light talks, and music from the radio made Ila's day. Ila is in a pool of confusions. She was stuck between life and death, husband and happiness. In a letter she says to Saajan that " Bhutan is the happiest country in the world, because in there Gross National Happiness is more than Gross Domestic Product ". The realization of happiness in life lighted on her when she heard from her her mother when her father died. She said " All through my life, I have only thought of his needs- his breakfast, his medicines, his bath... and now when he died, I feel hungry, l craves for parathas". Her mother find her happiness and freedom only when her father died.

 What would happen when an old man over fifty years loves a young housewife with a daughter? Why didn't Saajan had courage to meet Ila? The old man in him realized in that day,  that he have lost him somewhere through this journey of life. He decided to move on to Nasik and spend his retirement days there. But his love for Ila was so rooted which caused him to search her and to invite her to his life.

Ila is ready to move on with her life. Ending all her confusions, she chose happiness over her husband. She is all packed to leave for Bhutan with her daughter. Before going, she writes a last letter to Saajan. She wanted him to know where she is in this world. She longs for that surprise visit from him. But she is still in a dilemma wheather to sent it or to read that all throughout her life thinking about him.

The film ends with many unanswered questions. What we know, is that they both are searching happiness in their lives. Ila and her daughter- a peaceful life in Bhutan, for Saajan its Ila.