The Lunchbox (2013)

The World’s Most Efficient Business Model

The Lunchbox is a romantic comedy about Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox system. A wrongly delivered lunchbox connects a housewife with an older businessman and they start sending love notes. The movie is centred on the dabawallas, a group of individuals in India who collect and deliver hot food in lunch boxes from the homes of the workers in the city of Mumbai. The dabawalla system has been recognised as one of the most efficient systems and this has led to many awards and studies on the 125-year old dabbawala industry. Prince Charles of England was so impressed by the system that he invited them to his wedding. The success of the industry has been recognised by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and top managers at Mercedes Benz. The movie is a fantastic example of Cultural Diplomacy as it depicts a system and culture that many people do not know about, but that has been internationally recognised and acclaimed.