When Brownie dear
Crossed the road
And died
She broke our hearts completely.
The silent agreement
Was no more dogs
That is until one morning
We heard a puppy's yelp
Coming from our overgrown yard.
That's how Achoo entered
Our home and our hearts,
Freely roaming both.
Her favorite sleeping spot
Is on my bed
(did Brownie teach you that?).
She shifts between house and yard
And while she's definitely not Brownie
I think we all know who sent you here
To repair the hearts she broke.
Inspired they left
It was all part of the 7-day camp.
7 days of tolerance
7 days of hard work
7 days of camaraderie
7 days of grueling routine.
There were seniors and juniors
But at camp they were simply volunteers.
Visitors and food galore
But what endured in those 77 hearts
Was the simple joy of sheer friendship.
You stepped across my silences
you unheard my whispers for help
and now that I’m fighting back
you call me names and turn your back.
I am the child of this soil
the backbone of your economy
yet you care not
that I go to the dogs.
And so I stand at your door
day in and day out
with my brothers in arms,
asking, pleading, forcing you to think
about the law you passed
against me and my kind.
You and your co-conspirators
can no longer do as you please
for we will fight back
as it is our sustenance after all
that you have tried to take away.
The
tale here is not in the telling but in the portrayal of everyday events, in the
life of the characters, through the epistolary mode. One gets to know of the
simple and the complex thoughts of Sehgal and Fernandes through their letters.
Whether it’s about chillies or it’s about Bhutan, the script weaved by Ritesh
Batra has the audience in its thrall. Will the pair come together or won’t
they? The suspense keeps us going till the very end.
The Lunchbox
is not your everyday fare, yet it did remarkably well at the box office. Its
portrayal of Mumbai life and the everyday life of ordinary people caught the
hearts of many. Both the late Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur performed wonderfully
in their roles as lead actors. Even the often highly critical site Rotten
Tomatoes gave the movie a rating of 97% stating “The Lunchbox is a clever crowd-pleaser from first-time director Ritesh Batra."
Khan excels as the sour but not quite heartless accountant, never going
overboard. His steady performance as an actor, keeps you enthralled. Kaur, as
the troubled homemaker, also puts up an excellent performance, ensuring she
steals our hearts as well.
The film is filled with little incidents that
could happen to any of us as well. This is what makes it so delightful and
charming. For instance the way Sehgal uses a rigged basket system to transport
chillies to the neighbour below, or how Fernandes looks forward to his lunch every
day without appearing to do so, are just examples of the movie’s endearing
charm. The day Fernandes decides to meet Sehgal, scenes of different parts of
Mumbai are shown as he traverses the city. It’s almost like a mini tour of this
sprawling metro, encouraging one to visit.
The letters themselves carry such a deep
insight into the human condition and throw light on the personality of the
characters being played by Khan and Kaur. Their happiness and miseries are
brought to light as well as their doubts and revelations as they begin their
journey through letters. Each letter brings with it delight and a note of
contemplation for the viewer as well, no matter how short it may seem. It
leaves the audience thinking and also waiting for more.
Commission, commotion
Surrounded by people and noise
I stepped into a world unlike my own.
Taking matters into my hands
I called together my team
and when the counter called my turn,
I nudged my way through
to get our equipment.
And there started the journey
through a nightmare
of ups and downs,
of paperwork
and wax sealing,
of setting up a booth
and a sleepless night,
of endless voters
and tying up loose ends,
of a night of rains
and working without electricity,
as we worked our way back
to the collection point
to stand in queues and crowds
so that we could know
we hadn’t go form A written
‘n’ number of times.
The magnanimity of it struck
when it was finally sealed and done.
The voting was over!
