The Lunchbox

"Let’s get a few ‘NOTs’ out of the way. The Lunchbox is NOT a Bollywood film. It is a romantic-comedy, but there is no dancing and no singing. It is Indian, but its story and themes are universal. Lots of the dialogue is even in English, for the subtitle-averse."

"Batra adeptly plays on the tension of will they or won’t they meet, making good decisions based on character and situation rather than the need to uplift an audience."

"First-time writer/director Ritesh Batra deserves credit for mining gently captivating drama from a pitch that could have just ended with passive-aggressive Post-its left on the office fridge."

"The comedy is more wry than uproarious, the melodrama gently poignant rather than operatic, and the sentimentality just sweet enough to be satisfying rather than bothersome."

"By its final act, pressing home the most un-Bollywood message that life's often more complicated than the movies,it's assumed the feel and weight of a well-observed short story."

"Comes across as a crafty crowd-pleaser, but with a clever structure."

"Charming and whimsical, it's a feast for the eyes."