• I’m going with five out of five for The Lunchbox. The greatest love stories are the ones that make you root for the protagonists to come together, despite their destinies. This film illustrates how love transforms the unlikeliest of people; it breaks down Saajan’s walls and gives Ila the courage to fly. Treat yourself to The Lunchbox – it’ll leave you with a craving to seek your own little happiness. Best film I’ve seen in a long time.

  • Shubhra Gupta
    Shubhra Gupta
    Indian Express

    7

    If it hadn’t been for the occasional flatness, and a couple of predictable notes, there would have been no flaws in this dabba. I also found Ila’s mother’s (Lillete Dubey) segment, included solely to underline another kind of vacantness, a little forced. But these are tiny niggles in this film that gets the rest of it so right. Batra’s characters are a delight. They may be of Mumbai, infused with intense desi flavours, but can inhabit any part of the world. You want to take them home, sit them down at your table, and savour them, one mouthful at a time.

  • Khalid Mohamed
    Khalid Mohamed
    Deccan Chronicle

    8

    What stays in the mind at the end of ‘The Lunchbox’ is pretty much what stays in mind at the end of a memorable set by jazzmen – not their lapses but the heights they scale.

    Bottomline: Bon appetit! Miss this sumptuous movie, at your own peril.

  • Raja Sen
    Raja Sen
    Rediff

    10

    It is a film of multiple pleasures — small ones and overwhelming ones and exquisitely crafted ones — layered one on top of the other, with something for everyone, and so, so much for the cinematic glutton.

    Like the dabbawalas he loves, this director delivers.

  • Anupama Chopra
    Anupama Chopra
    TheFrontRow

    8

    The Lunchbox is poignant and powerful. It will make you laugh and cry. And it will also make you hungry – I was dying to eat paneer kofta and bhindi when it finished. I’m going with four stars and absolutely insisting that you see it.

  • Gorge into it and savour its lingering aftertaste. The Lunchbox holds riches that aren’t likely to be forgotten in a hurry.

  • Srijana Mitra Das
    Srijana Mitra Das
    Times Of India

    9

    Its finesse qualifies this charmer as India’s potential entry to the Oscars, The Lunchbox an unusual banquet, raising a bitter-sweet toast to life.

  • The fact that it has garnered so much acclaim even before its release in India is something no one can ignore. This one may not please those looking for a masala flick, but is more than your money’s worth.

  • The Lunchbox is one of those films that will mesmerize you with dripping simplicity. Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur build their character intimately without meeting each other for once all through the film. Normally such stories lose their steam soon enough, but Batra’s expertise handles the film with its ingrained beauty of an unlikely love story. It is such a potent and effective film that I can’t really settle for anything less than 4.5/5. It is only sometimes that one encounters an unblemished film, this ranks among those few for me!

  • Saurabh Dwivedi
    Saurabh Dwivedi
    India Today

    10

    A highly recommended movie, that leaves you with a running film reel in your head, and a need to have have delicious food!

  • Taran Adarsh
    Taran Adarsh
    Bollywood Hungama

    8

    THE LUNCHBOX is a standout film, a sumptuous treat that’s sure to be relished by connoisseurs of cinema. A film with a big heart, it makes you realize that you can unearth contentment and pleasure even if you board the wrong train. Easily one of the finest films to come out of India.

  • Sachin Chatte
    Sachin Chatte
    The Navhind Times

    10

    Virtually every scene in the film offers more than just what is shown or said. And it is not a serious film all the way, take the dabbawallah scene where he argues with the Ila that even Harvard university came to see them and so did English royalty!
    Do what you please but don’t miss The Lunchbox.

  • Rummana Ahmed
    Rummana Ahmed
    Yahoo! India

    9

    Ritesh Batra’s film is a winner all the way, an exceptional love story, where two individuals romance each other, much like the director romances Mumbai. A story like no other that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you misty-eyed. A story that is full of hope and is heart wrenching at the same time. A story that makes you want to break into spontaneous applause because it is incredible in so many ways.

  • It’s the most optimistic film of the year.
    There are plenty of moments to treasure in The Lunchbox, and they’re all small and delicately crafted. Those looking for romance will swoon with delight as they discover two lonely people can find a way to make things work.

  • Dear reader, this is a delicious, beautiful little film. Just don’t watch it on an empty stomach.

  • Komal Nahta
    Komal Nahta
    KomalsReview

    -

    The Lunchbox is a delightfully delicious film. It will be simply loved by the classes and will score in the multiplexes of the big cities. The start in several centres may be slow but collections will pick up in the big cities due to positive mouth publicity. It will win a lot of accolades and awards too.

  • This picture primes you up for the end, slowly taking control of your emotions when you’re willing to go either way so far as this film’s conclusion is concerned.

  • Teena Elizabeth
    Teena Elizabeth
    BookMyShow

    7

    A thoughtful, elegant, bittersweet ode to love that you can’t miss!

  • While being an immensely enjoyable and competent film, the universality of The Lunchbox tends to exclude its setting’s all-important provinciality.

  • Aniruddha Guha
    Aniruddha Guha
    TimeOutMumbai

    9

    The Lunchbox is an exceptional film, a rare gem that arrives only once in a few years. Miss it only if you are allergic to all things awesome.

  • Karan Anshuman
    Karan Anshuman
    Mumbai Mirror

    10

    Could a simple lunchbox and its contents change lives? One of the best films to come out of India in a long time, director Ritesh Batra answers the question in his little masterpiece, The Lunchbox.