7.8/10
37,582
172 user 199 critic

Dabba (2013)

Trailer
2:06 | Trailer
A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (hindi dialogue consultant)
Top Rated Indian Movies #108 | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 29 wins & 35 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Ila
...
...
Ila's Mother
Nakul Vaid ...
Rajeev
Bharti Achrekar ...
Auntie
Yashvi Puneet Nagar ...
Yashvi
...
Mr. Shroff
...
Mehrunnisa
Nasir Khan ...
Ila's Father
Lokesh Raj ...
Duke's Owner
Sadashiv Kondaji Pokarkar ...
Dabbawallah at Ila's House
Aarti Rathod ...
Saajan's Neighbor
Krishna Bai ...
Toothless Woman
Raj Rishi More ...
Ila's Brother
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Storyline

The film, set in Mumbai, revolves around a mistaken delivery by the Dabbawalas (lunchbox service) of Mumbai, which leads to a relationship between Saajan, a lonely widower close to retirement, and Ila, an unhappy housewife, as they start exchanging notes through the daily lunchbox. Written by Iceman

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A Feel-Good Movie That Touches The Heart. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material and smoking | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

| | | |

Language:

|

Release Date:

10 April 2014 (Israel)  »

Also Known As:

Lunch box  »

Filming Locations:


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Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,542, 28 February 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,231,500, 12 September 2014
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The three main characters in the film - Saajan (Irrfan Khan), Sheikh (Nawazzudin Siqiui) and Ila (Nimrat Kaur) - all belong to different religions. Saajan is a Christian, Sheikh a Muslim, and Ila is a Hindu. This signifies the unity in diversity existing in the Mumbai City. See more »

Goofs

When Saajan works in the canteen on behalf of Shaikh he has a green marker in his hand, but when the camera changes it turns into red. In the same scene Saajan holds a red marker but when the camera changes it turns into a pen. See more »

Quotes

Saajan Fernandes: Nobody buys a lottery ticket expired, Ila.
See more »

Connections

Features Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984) See more »

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User Reviews

 
U have to see it to believe it that such a product has been dished out of Bollywood
22 September 2013 | by – See all my reviews

THE LUNCHBOX- A poignant and heart warming tale that seems like a whiff of fresh air amidst all the hullabaloo the audiences have been exposed to in recent memory. It has depicted the pathos of 2 principal characters with panache n each n every single frame of the film seems to have been meticulously dealt with. One dialogue still lingers in your mind long after the film has finished "Sometimes the wrong train takes u to the right destination". It's so so good to see good ol' letters being exchanged in an era of e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp n mobile phones. Somewhere it touches the very core n essence of that golden era which I had never been born in but now surely have the experience to cherish it via such gems which come once in a long, long while. The best part is that all melodrama has been avoided except for the cameo by Lilette Dubey. All the emotions have been expressed in a very subtle manner in contrast to over-the-top melodrama which has been the staple diet of Bollywood films n how they play with our emotions by being tearjerkers. This film pricks your conscience n compels u to think. It makes u root for the protagonists even as they march onto their respective destinies. It makes u realize there's a silver lining of hope that really makes u fly. I really wish if it could be India's official entry to the Oscars for 2013.


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