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Celluloid
DramaRomance Cannes 2013 Editor's Pick

The Lunchbox Review (2013) — 74% Celluloid Score

Directed by Ritesh Batra · 2013 ·

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary: Is The Lunchbox worth watching?

The Lunchbox (2013) earns a 74% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics (96%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (88%).

Quick Verdict: What is the Celluloid Score for The Lunchbox?

Averaged from five public sources (critic, audience, Metascore, Letterboxd, IMDb). See how we calculate scores.

74%
Celluloid Score Recommended

Five-source breakdown

96% Critic Score
88% Audience
76 Metascore
★★★½☆ Letterboxd 3.8
7.8 IMDb /10
Runtime
1h 44m
Cast
Irrfan Khan , Nimrat Kaur , Nawazuddin Siddiqui , Lillete Dubey , Nasir Khan , Bharati Achrekar , Nakul Vaid , Yashvi Punneet Nagar , Denzil Smith , Shruti Bapna

Where to watch in India

Not yet streaming in India — check local listings.

Why this score?

  • Strong critic approval (96% positive).
  • General viewers mostly liked it (88%).
  • Metascore is generally favorable (76/100).
  • Celluloid Score 74% averages all five public rating sources — our own composite, not a third-party trademark score.

Best for

  • Short runtime — easy weeknight watch

Not ideal for

  • Viewers who only watch top-tier, 90%+ rated films

Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

Is The Lunchbox worth watching?

Yes — The Lunchbox earns a 74% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

Critics Consensus

A mistaken dabba delivery sparks one of Indian indie cinema’s tenderest epistolary romances.

Celluloid Critics Consensus

Critics (96%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (88%).

What is The Lunchbox about?

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system (Mumbai's Dabbawallahs) connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality.

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