Has “cuisine”
ever been so glamourous as it is today? Look
at the way it has been sensationalised. As a child I remember it was Sanjeev Kapoor who took the bold step of appearing on screen teaching recipes
to an afternoon audience primarily targeting homemakers. But look at what
globalisation and technology has done to the food culture today. There are special channels
dedicated to cooking shows.Nigella Lawson,Padma Lakshmi and David Rocco are no
less popular than rockstars. Thats the power of palate. Kudos to masterchef! That
is some reality TV innovation.
In fact culinary is getting much deserved attention .It is a pursuit that
activates all the five basic senses. For engineers as my friend points out,it is
thermodynamics. There’s requisite heat,consistency of ingredients and proper
curing that is required to make a dish a success. With rising disposable incomes,food seems to be the most happening investment.Yet we have the sad plight
of homemakers across the country who dedicate most of their lives to cooking in kitchen and
yet receive little or no credit.
I remember
as a young girl the only reason I studied was to escape what I saw my mom do. The thankless and labour intensive job of a homemaker. The arduous process of
kneading the dough, rolling the chapatti and then baking it. And then processing
vegetables and perfecting that stew. All this 3 times a day.After English Vinglish here is another movie showcasing the helpless “Bharatiya Nari”.This is the theme
of the movie “Lunchbox”.
A brilliant movie for connoisseurs as it
explores the simplicity and thrill of a mundane life of a homemaker played by
Nimrat Kaur.The pretty lady scorched the screen in 2002 with music videos. Sad!
No one noticed her then,but she is back with a bang and sans makeup.
The
director,a debutant Ritesh Batra has executed the craft brilliantly,keeping
an eye on details; like keeping Ila’s
eyebrows unkempt,her kitchen not so clean. Irfan and
Nawazzudin need no credit. Their acting like always, is class apart.The
subtle humour between them is impeccable.At times you will need to listen to the dialogues
attentively to understand the underlying humour. For eg . Nawazuddin tells “how
his dad last laughed in 1984 when India won the world cup against Pakistan”. Irrfan dons that perfect expression whether he is being molested in train or simply missing his late wife.Many moments in the movie pass in silence but you cannot ignore the emotions.
The central story revolves around exchange of letters with an
unknown friend,the only difference being that this time it is passed in lunchbox that lands up at the wrong destination.It also
explores the facet of human relationships. A widower’s isolation and his
scruffy attitude towards his neighbourhood kids.His indifferent attitude
towards his colleagues.All this changes when he comes in touch with an unknown woman who starts confiding in him.
The movie is also a tribute to Mumbai dabbawalas.
My favourite part is when Ila accuses the dabbawala of delivering tiffin at the
wrong address,the dabbawala mumbles “ Aisa
nahi ho sakta,Harvard waale aake padhke gaye hain aur Britain ka Raja bhi
jaanta hai”(This cannot be true ,Harvard had conducted study on us and even
Britain’s prince knows that).
No more
spoilers,go watch the movie that pays tribute to household economics.
I feel sorry for KJO and Anurag Kashyap who have every right to be sad as the movie has not been chosen as India’s entry to Oscars.
I feel sorry for KJO and Anurag Kashyap who have every right to be sad as the movie has not been chosen as India’s entry to Oscars.
They had
tried hard to make an authentic movie,and going by the Oscar “intellectual”
trends kept it open ended (which is making Indian junta scratch their hair)
P.S I wanted to use Vir Sanghvi's presently inactive column's name Rude Food to lure attention nevertheless kept it simple as our moms. And If your mom or wife is a homemaker make sure you let her know about this
