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When I watched The Lunchbox the other day, the second thought that clouded my mind was:
Why do older, working-class men forge friendships?
Stag trips and misadventures mostly end after they traditionally settle down. In rural areas, there is a concept of male groups consisting of young & old men. Then comes the trend of WhatsApp groups where they post all things ranging from Good Morning texts to pictures of women to propaganda and fake news.
None of these are reasons to build friendships. One reason perhaps is ‘company’ to escape their families for a drink on a weekend. Sometimes connections from childhood and youth spill over to middle-age with a tag of a family friendship.
In Ritesh Batra’s film, Saajan (Irrfan Khan) is unreceptive towards Aslam Shaikh’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) advances to befriend him. Shaikh does so to learn the ropes of his job, yet the friendship that develops is incidental.
A widower, Saajan’s solitary existence is not unsurprising. Shaikh, an orphan, is jovial but does not seem to have a network – which isn’t uncommon for his age or financial strata.
When Shaikh invites Saajan home for a meal, he isn’t seeking a house guest. He means to develop a bond with a man who is older and way different yet is similar to him in many ways. Saajan, too, finds a comfort level with Shaikh to make a revelation about his girlfriend.
My favorite interaction between them is not when they chat over Ila’s (Nimrat Kaur) lunchbox. It is when Saajan performs what is similar to best man duties at Shaikh’s wedding. It’s a touching gesture where a lot is spoken without words.
“You will be a good husband,” Saajan blesses Shaikh as he bids goodbye and invites him to Nashik – things that good friends say to each other.
We don’t know what must have happened to the two after the story ended. Yet, I imagine them to remain in touch and help each other to thrive in a fast and unrelenting city.
