“I wish I had kept on looking back then”: The issue of epistolary communication in the film "The Lunchbox" (2013)

Abstract

The article examines the way in which a thread of communication is formed between two people from seemingly the same cultural background, but who differ in terms of age, gender, religion, and personal experiences. The analysis is done on the basis of the movie titled “The Lunchbox” (2013). Firstly, the article provides introductory information about the film. Next, culture-specific and historical information is presented so as to correctly establish the characteristics of the main protagonists. Then, the issue of the formation of epistolary communication is examined on the basis of objects from the film. Finally, the article proceeds to an analysis of the conversation-through-letters by exploring the personalities of the protagonists through the concepts of sentimentalism and individuality. The analysis aims to show that even in modern-day representations, the mode of epistolary contact is still popular and can also lead to new reinventions within the field of postcolonialism.