The Lunchbox review

A hearty, sentimental meal

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When a mix-up in Mumbai’s famous ‘dabbawalla’ lunchbox delivery system leads to widower Sajaan (Irrfan Khan) receiving a stacked tiffin box assembled by unappreciated housewife Ila (Nimrat Kaur), it sparks an exchange of letters.

A romance centred on a mix-up of lunchboxes? It’s as slight as it sounds, but there’s enough warmth and wit packed in to suggest this Indian charmer could have breakout potential.

First-time writer/director Ritesh Batra deserves credit for mining gently captivating drama from a pitch that could have just ended with passive-aggressive Post-its left on the office fridge.

Matt Maytum

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.