If you were wondering whether it’s possible to make a good movie without a really great, out-of-the-world storyline, you should definitely watch this film.
Amol Gupte’s directorial debut, Stanley Ka Dabba is the story of a young boy, Stanley (Partho) who doesn’t have a tiffin box and hence shares his friends’ food at school. However, this really pisses off the Hindi teacher, Verma (Amol Gupte), as he loves devouring the kids’ food and berating Stanley. Hence, he forbids Stanley from attending school without getting a ‘dabba’ of his own. Throughout its run-time, the film explores student –teacher relationships as well as relationships between the students and teacher s amongst themselves.
From the very beginning, the viewer starts liking the innocence and childish nature of Stanley. Most of us can relate to almost everything he does, and through his action, Stanley manages to take us on a walk down memory lane to our own childhood.
Amol Gupte plays his negative character to perfection. Though one has seen him in negative roles before in movies such as Kaminey, this time he manages to endear himself to the viewer by the end of the movie.
Divya Dutta plays a friendly teacher who is very fond of her students, and does well. Divya Jagdale, on the other hand, delivers yet another short, but absolutely fantastic performance (Remember, Firaaq?) She is the exact replica of the teacher all of us remember having in the 3rd or 4th grade.
The acting by everyone is above-average. Rahul Singh and Raj Zutshi do a commendable job. However, it is the performance of the kids which steals the show. Apart from Partho, who is plain amazing, the rest of the kids, especially Aman Mehra (played by Numan Shaikh) and Walter D’souza are just outstanding.
The soundtrack is nothing exceptional, but just like the rest of the movie, it has a sense of positivity attached to it.
The opening credits are a clear rip-off from the Pink Panther series, with the animated versions of the protagonists, but it works since it’s the first Indian film to use this approach.
The film is a bit slow, and the ending is predictable. However, that is where the beauty of this film lies: in its simplicity and innocence. What surprised me was the unusually large number of close-up and extreme close-up shots in the movie. The entire movie has got very few mid-shots, and the number of long shots can be counted on one’s fingers. However, it works, as the director is able to bring out every single emotion perfectly from all the actors.
This is not the film where the suspense will keep you biting your nails, or the horror will make you cling on to your partner’s arm. However, I guarantee you, after watching the film; you’ll leave the theatre smiling.
