The Lunchbox, film review: Wry and gently comic Mumbai-set drama

(PG) Ritesh Batra, 104 mins Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

A wrongly delivered lunchbox sets the plot in motion

This is a real charmer of a film: a wry and gently comic Mumbai-set drama with a level of quiet observation that rekindles memories of Bill Forsyth in his prime.

A wrongly delivered lunchbox sets the plot in motion, establishing a connection between a lonely, widowed office worker, Saajan Fernandes (Irfan Khan), and a neglected wife, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), who begin to send each other notes expressing their yearnings.

British office workers accustomed to rancid sandwiches will look on with envy at the delicacies savoured by their Indian counterparts through the “dabbawala” system.