The Japanese may feel like they have perfected bentō (lunchbox) culture, but India has a formidable lunchbox culture of its own, in the form of the dabba. Some 6 million of these meals are delivered each day to offices in Mumbai by dabbawallahs, and "Dabba" (released internationally as "The Lunchbox") is a tale of what happens when one accidentally goes astray.

Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is a Mumbai housewife whose indifferent husband fails to notice when her lovingly cooked meal doesn't show up at his desk. The next day, she inserts a little note for the stranger who ate the misdirected meal — a cranky office worker nearing retirement (Irrfan Khan from "Life of Pi") — and he replies. A lovely friendship develops between Ila and the stranger, though the pair have never laid eyes on each other.

"Dabba" is slow-paced and intricately crafted — it's a movie to be savored rather than scarfed down. Along with the gorgeous food, it delivers a simple truth: When life humiliates you, the best way back to dignity is throuh the sincere performance of everyday tasks and rituals.

Dabba (Meguriawase no Obento)
Rating
DirectorRitesh Batra
LanguageHindi and English (subtitled in Japanese)
OpensAug. 9