*This post contains spoilers*
Disclaimer: If you have not watched any of the two films, stop reading this post and go and watch them right away. 

I had the privilege of watching the films The Lunchbox and The Good Road back to back yesterday and found the latter to be more interesting, a story I wanted to see unfold, while the former, brilliant as it is, was simply not my type.


One of the things that stood out in Gyan Correa’s debut film was the scene where a 7 year old kid Aditya was left alone unknowingly by his parents at a road side dhaba. The kid runs after the fast moving vehicle for so long that I felt a genuine concern for what might be in store for him on that day and if he will ever re-unite with his parents. He keeps running even when his parents’ car gets farer from his sight and we cut to a landscape of arid Gujarat highway with nothing but the running kid. It is a moment of moving cinema I have seen in a long time and it got me hooked to the film. In contrast, the scene which left me feel distant from RiteshBatra’sThe Lunchbox was when Ila finds out that her husband was having an extra-marital affair. It is not that, this cannot happen but just that I knew this was going to happen. 

The other aspect which sets the movies far apart was the acting. A film which has Irrfan Khan and NawazuddinSiddiqui – not to forget an equally brilliant debutant NimratKaur, holding her own amidst the two stalwarts - at its helm could not go much wrong in terms of getting their acts right, but The Lunchbox makes even actors of their caliber go one step above in delivering the finest and the most flawless performances. Watch out for the delightful scene where Irrfan Khan reveals the name of his girlfriend, savoring the food and smiling to himself. It just cannot get any better and the film is peppered with flashes of delicious writing and detailing all over. Gyan Correa’s cast and his script are the major culprits in selling his film short. It has got an interesting premise and fantastic cinematography but the writing lacks the grit and edginess to make it a thrilling experience, and the actors lack the finesse to deliver on a film that probably demands too much from non-actors. Particularly disappointing was the actor who played the role of the constable accompanying David back to the dhaba where they left their son. He looks thoroughly bored and just gets through the motions.

I was equally dissatisfied by the way both the films ended. I kind of expected how The Lunchbox was going to end even though I haven’t read any of the reviews about it. The Good Road however felt incomplete on so many levels and seemed like it was wrapped up in haste with a dialogue added in the end to sum up everything.  

It is unfortunate that the two films are compared to each other due to the FFI’s decision to send one over the other as India’s official entry to the Oscars under Best Foreign Film category. While I’m not qualified enough to comment on why the decision was taken or what might have happened if the decision had been otherwise, I feel that The Good Road deserves to be seen a lot more than what it got.

I don’t care much about the Oscars and I also think that The Lunchbox had got its fair share of support, acclaim, awards and everything. Heck, it got 5 star reviews from the two reviewers I follow, Raja Sen and Rajeev Masand. So a lack of the golden statuette could not take anything away from the film. On the other hand, if a nod from FFI was what it takes for all of us to know Gyan Correa, then so be it.