---
title: "The Lunchbox"
year: 2013
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox"
fi1m_id: "the-lunchbox"
imdb_id: "tt2350496"
tmdb_id: 191714
wikidata_id: "Q13423399"
fi1m_score: 75
critics_reviews: 3
published: "2026-10-01T23:23:02.188508+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T23:23:21.751347+00:00"
region: "PT"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Lunchbox (2013)

Directed by Ritesh Batra · 1h 44m · Drama, Romance

## Identity

The Lunchbox

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-lunchbox
- **IMDb ID:** tt2350496
- **TMDB ID:** 191714
- **Wikidata ID:** Q13423399
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/191714, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13423399

**Fi1m score: 75** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far

*In a sentence:* Irrfan Khan does so little that we start watching twice as hard

> Ritesh Batra’s romance is worth seeing for Irrfan Khan, whose restraint makes its tenderness persuasive. The careful handling can also feel overcautious, leaving a good film a little less affecting than it ought to be.

## Synopsis

Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) and Ila (Nimrat Kaur) are at the centre of a romantic drama that asks whether two people can fall in love without meeting. Alongside them are Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), Rajeev (Nakul Vaid) and Ila’s Mother (Lillete Dubey). Knowing someone without seeing them leaves ordinary questions unanswered: what they are like in company, how they behave when distracted, what being together might mean. The possibility of love comes with the difficulty of knowing how much of another person remains to be discovered.

## Review

The attraction of *The Lunchbox* is the care Ritesh Batra takes with feelings that could easily become embarrassing on screen. As writer and director, he makes a romance that asks for patience and generally earns it, though we sometimes wanted him to be less careful. It is a good film, especially for those who prefer their romantic drama without a great deal of insisting. Irrfan Khan gives that quietness a human interest it might otherwise lack.

We were moved by the restraint of Irrfan Khan’s performance. He gives Saajan Fernandes enough reserve to make the smallest suggestion of warmth worth our attention, without turning quietness into a display of acting. The pleasure lies in how much interest he creates while apparently doing so little. We have to stay attentive, and that seems a fair request when a performance gives us this much reason to care.

Nimrat Kaur gives Ila enough weight to make her worth watching independently of the romance. She deserves attention beside a leading performance that could easily dominate our memory of the film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as Shaikh, is welcome company too, although the writing can make its wish to please a little too apparent. The acting is persuasive enough for us to wish Ritesh Batra would risk letting these people be less agreeable.

Michael Simmonds’s cinematography makes good use of space, giving the characters’ separation an importance that dialogue need not underline. Shruti Gupte’s production design feels suitably unshowy beside it. We can attend to the people without having to admire the surroundings first, and the images reward that attention. This is well-judged work, although the visual restraint sometimes reinforces the feeling that the film is being a little too careful with us.

John F. Lyons’s editing shares that preference for giving a feeling time to settle. For much of the film, the pace suits the performances; occasionally we became too conscious of being asked to wait. Max Richter’s music belongs to the same gentle approach, and we would have welcomed less reassurance from it. The combined effect is pleasing, but it can make a slight uncertainty feel more important than the writing has managed to make it.

That is the main reservation about Ritesh Batra’s screenplay. It is so tactful about romantic feeling that it sometimes seems reluctant to risk an awkward response. Within the genre, restraint is welcome, but it should still leave room for people to be tiresome, unreasonable or difficult to like. We wanted more of that difficulty, because the actors are capable of sustaining our interest without so much encouragement to be fond of them.

At 104 minutes, *The Lunchbox* asks for a modest amount of patience, and the acting usually repays it. Irrfan Khan can hold our attention even when the film feels slight. Choose it for a quiet evening with a romance, provided quietness itself is part of the appeal.

*Fi1m score 75, published 1 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is The Lunchbox worth watching?**

*The Lunchbox* is worth watching for its quietly persuasive performances, especially Irrfan Khan’s, and we score it 75 out of 100. We recommend it for a patient evening with a restrained romance, though the careful pacing and reassuring treatment of its characters make it less affecting than it could be.

**How long is The Lunchbox, and what is it rated?**

*The Lunchbox* runs 1h 44m. It is a drama and romance film.

**Where can I watch The Lunchbox in Portugal?**

*The Lunchbox* is streaming on Apple TV in Portugal. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Lunchbox compare to Brief Encounter?**

*The Lunchbox* is the gentler romance, while we recommend [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) more strongly for making unexpected love feel both ordinary and frightening. Both find feeling within everyday routines, but *The Lunchbox* suits an appetite for quiet tenderness; *Brief Encounter* gives romantic anxiety more painful weight, despite its less fully drawn male lead.

**What should I watch after The Lunchbox?**

After *The Lunchbox*, try [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): For another restrained romance in which ordinary routines make room for unexpected feeling. Then [*In the Mood for Love*](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love) (2000, Fi1m 91): For romantic longing expressed through shared spaces, repeated encounters and careful restraint.

### Reviews we read (3)

- **Variety**, Jay Weissberg (85/100, inferred): Weissberg finds the film warmly engaging and praises Ritesh Batra’s deft handling of the romance. He also singles out Irrfan Khan’s nuanced performance and the meaningful visual use of space. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/global/cannes-film-review-the-lunchbox-1200483926/)
- **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (75/100, inferred): Romney presents the film positively, framing it as a delectable debut. The standfirst praises its appeal but does not identify a more specific element. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-the-lunchbox-irrfan-khan-nimrat-kaur/)
- **Screen Daily**, Fionnuala Halligan (64/100, inferred): The accessible page does not expose the critic’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to identify. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-lunchbox/5056431.article)

## Details

- **Director:** Ritesh Batra
- **Director:** Ritesh Batra
- **Screenplay:** Ritesh Batra
- **Cinematography:** Michael Simmonds
- **Editor:** John F. Lyons
- **Music:** Max Richter
- **Production design:** Shruti Gupte
- **Costume design:** Niharika Bhasin
- **Producer:** Arun Rangachari, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga
- **Cast:** Irrfan Khan as Saajan Fernandes; Nimrat Kaur as Ila; Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Shaikh; Lillete Dubey as Ila's Mother; Nasir Khan as Ila's Father; Bharati Achrekar as Mrs. Khrishnan; Nakul Vaid as Rajeev; Yashvi Punneet Nagar as Yashvi
- **Runtime:** 1h 44m
- **First release (France):** 19 March 2013
- **Genres:** Drama, Romance
- **Budget:** $3 million
- **Box office:** $17 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJxLudSPxsQ

## Where to watch in Portugal

- Apple TV: add-on, hd

*Checked 2026-10-01.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: For another restrained romance in which ordinary routines make room for unexpected feeling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md)
- *In the Mood for Love* (2000), Fi1m 91: For romantic longing expressed through shared spaces, repeated encounters and careful restraint. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-mood-for-love.md)
- *84 Charing Cross Road* (1987): For the warmth and complications of a friendship sustained through correspondence.
- *The Shop Around the Corner* (1940): For a lighter romance built around letters and imperfect knowledge of another person.
- *Photograph* (2019): For another Ritesh Batra romance that gives tentative companionship time to develop.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox