Setting: Description and Analysis

Setting

The film is set against the the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, India in 2012, and it explores Mumbai’s 99.9% accurate lunchbox delivery system, known as the dabbawalas. As the film begins the shots of the rain in the morning signifies the chaos and the early morning atmosphere. Ila’s location is mostly at her home from the kitchen, the bedroom or looking out the window to converse with her woman upstairs, whom she calls 'Auntie'.

On the other hand, Saajan’s location is within various places from his disciplined office during the day, to the overcrowded train, to the graveyard to visit his wife and then to his home. The way the train is packed with people, especially most times Saajan is standing in the train; this portrays the busy nature of the city. People throughout Mumbai are rushing to get to and from work.

Main Characters

Nimrat Kaur plays Ila, a middle-class housewife battling tedium at home, attentive to her daughter, but deeply unsatisfied with her neglectful and passive husband, who's mysteriously preoccupied with his phone to appreciate his wife's warm presence. As such, Ila consults her 'Auntie' to create new and vibrant dishes in hopes of reviving her husband's heart through his tastebuds. However, it was mistakenly delivered to someone else.

Irrfan Khan plays Saajan, a widower who is on the verge of retirement from an accounting firm. He lives a routinely lonely and and anti-social life both at home and at work which makes him somewhat of a scrooge, until the day that he mistakenly received a lunchbox which was not his. 

Secondary Characters

Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Shaikh. While he is a secondary character, throughout the film his presence is very important to Saajan and Ila’s lives and relationship. Despite Shaikh has had a rough life whilst growing up, his current happiness with his wife and his eagerness to learn add value to his character and the film.

Bharati Achrekar plays 'Aunty', a formidable and funny character whom we never see but hears throughout the film. She gives the female lead advice on cooking and how to handle the situation that she has found herself in.