Movies like The Lunchbox are rich in showcasing India’s cultural diversity through food. Food and cinema share a unique bond, both having the ability to evoke emotions, memories, and cultural connections. Indian cinema often incorporates the art of cooking and the joy of food into its narrative. From lavish feasts to humble street food, Indian films have celebrated food’s role as more than just sustenance—it’s a symbol of love, tradition, and living.
This article is going to give an awesome set of movies like The Lunchbox if you have enjoyed watching this Irrfan Khan starrer. In the film, an unlikely mistake by a tiffin carrier service results in Ila’s tiffin, which was made for her husband, being delivered to Saajan Fernandes. An unusual friendship soon develops between the two.
Take a look at 7 movies like The Lunchbox that celebrate cuisine and culinary traditions of India
1. Cheeni Kum
- Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Pradeep Shukla, Swini Khara, Jameel Khan, Phil Pritchard
- Director: R.Balki
- IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Release year: 2007
- Where to watch: ZEE5
Cheeni Kum is one of the popular movies like The Lunchbox. It is a romantic comedy film directed by R. Balki. The story revolves around a 64-year-old chef and confirmed bachelor played by Amitabh Bachchan, who falls in love with a 34-year-old woman, portrayed by Tabu. The film explores the humorous and heartwarming aspects of their unconventional relationship, challenging societal norms and age-related stereotypes. The title, Cheeni Kum, translates to less sugar, symbolizing the unique and sweet flavor of their love story.
2. Ramji Londonwaley
- Cast: R.Madhavan, Samita Bangargi Chaudhary, Satish Shah
- Director: Sanjay Dayma
- IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Romance
- Release year: 2005
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
In Ramji Londonwaley, we get to see Ramji Tiwari and his sister, Parvati, losing their parents at an early age. Ramji is an accomplished cook, and is familiar with all aspects of vegetarian cooking. He arranges Parvati’s marriage to the Mishra family, promising a large dowry, which he manages to get by promising to marry a rich man’s daughter.
3. Stanley Ka Dabba
- Cast: Amole Gupte, Partho Gupte, Divya Dutta
- Director: Amole Gupte
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Release year: 2011
- Where to watch: YouTube
Stanley Ka Dabba is one of the most acclaimed films that tells a beautiful story through food. In the film, a school boy named Stanley does not carry lunch and this is noticed by a teacher who forces kids to share their food with him. He soon warns Stanley that he must get a lunch box if he wants to attend school.
4. English Vinglish
- Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Sumeet Vyas, Adil Hussain, Priya Anand, Sulabha Deshpande, Suhita Thatte, Ashvin Matthew, Sujata Kumar, Mehdi Nebbou, Rajeev Ravindranathan, Damien Thompson, Priya Ad, Navika Kotia, Cory Hibbs, Ruth Aguilar, Maria Romano, Damian Thompson
- Director: Gauri Shinde
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
- Release year: 2012
- Where to watch: JioCinema, ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video
English Vinglish is the story of a woman with a great talent of cooking, does not know English. She is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large because of her lack of knowledge in English. The film is a light-hearted yet touching and transformative journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome these insecurities, master the language, teach the world a lesson on how to become a confident and confident woman.
The film is shot mostly in New York and captures the inherent struggle of many people all over the world with the English Language. Hilarious, touching, sensitive, and this film marks the come back of India’s biggest female star.
5. Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
- Cast: Kunal Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Vicky Kaushal, Vinod Nagpal, Rajesh Sharma, Rahul Bagga
- Director: Sameer Sharma
- IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Release year: 2012
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
In Luv Shuv tey Chicken Khuaran, we see that After duping a gangster in London, Omi flees to India. When he learns that his family’s old restaurant is in trouble, he decides to rediscover a secret recipe that will change their fortunes.
6. Daawat-e-Ishq
- Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Anupam Kher, Karan Wahi
- Director: Habib Faisal
- IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
- Movie Genre: Romance, Comedy
- Release year: 2014
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Daawat-e-Ishq starred Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead roles. Directed by Habib Faisal, the film follows Gulrez struggling to find herself a suitable groom due to her prospects’ huge dowry demands. After meeting a chef named Tariq, she and her father plan to frame him and his family in a dowry case.
7. Chef
- Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Sobhita Dhulipala, Milind Soman, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Dinesh Prabhakar, Padmapriya, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Pawan Chopra, Jayan Cherthala, Srikanth K. Vijayan
- Director: Raja Krishna Menon
- IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
- Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
- Release year: 2017
- Where to watch: N/A
In Chef, Roshan Kalra gets fired from his job and moves to Kochi to spend some time with his son, who lives with his ex-wife Radha Menon. He connects with his ex-wife and she gives him the bright idea of starting a new food truck business to pursue his passion for cooking.
The above-mentioned movies highlighting stories through food will refresh your mind and also motivate you in some way.
