Stanley Ka Dabba Movie Reviews

In many ways, Amole Gupte's directorial debut plays out like a classic Western. A grumpy old Sheriff, a veritable bloodhound, starts sniffing around as the sun makes its way overhead and sweat starts rolling down his face. The harmonica -- and the uneven twang of a lonely banjo -- here signals his hunger, hunger he attempts to hide from a roomful of varmints by wiping drops of sweat and the beginnings of drool off with the same once-white kerchief

The best, purest film to come out of Hindi cinema in a while, this. Take a bow, Man With No Tiffin. Take a bow while we take off our hats.

Few films have the heartwarming impact of Stanley Ka Dabba, which takes you right back to the wonder years of your school life. Those hushed whispers in the back benches, sharing sandwiches out of each other's tiffin boxes, ganging up against a cruel teacher…it all comes back to you in a flash, as you sit there watching this film unfold on screen. Director Amole Gupte (writer of Taare Zameen Par) leads you once again into the classroom

Film-maker Amole Gupte is passionate about cinema with kids as the central characters, which is very evident from the stories he wants us to hear. He chooses to get into their little world, depict their joys, sorrows, concerns... It was evident in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR [written by Gupte, besides being the creative director] and now in STANLEY KA DABBA [written and directed by Gupte]. Like TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, STANLEY KA DABBA is a slice-of-life film

In school, my friend and I used to share food during our breaks. We loved to have a bite of each other's dabbas. In fact, if one of us didn't bring his Tiffin, the other would give some food only on udhar, which was adjusted the next day. This is what STANLEY KA DABBA does to you. Filling you with nostalgia, it takes you right back to the good old school days. Even Sagar Ballary's KACCHA LIMBOO, which released a while back, did that to a great extent

A dabba, in the life of a schoolchild, is a magical thing. It beats hunger with packed mother’s love. Stanley Ka Dabba gives us a child rarely seen in Hindi cinema: Stanley is a young boy who is so life-like that he makes you forget, almost, the fake moppets who recite their lines in sing-song, and behave like no kids you and I know. The delightful flavour that comes off children who are children, not mannequins, is the real triumph of Stanley Ka Dabba

Watch Stanley Ka Dabba as soon as you can. It’ll probably be the best film you’ll be watching for a long time to come.

On the whole, STANLEY KA DABBA is a sincere, noble, well-intentioned film that tells a moving story with earnestness. One of the finest films of our times, this emotional journey is a must watch. Thumbs Up!

Few films tug your heartstrings like this tale of the eminently likable Stanley. It also marks the fabulous debut of Gupte as a director, a reassuring effort of a man who know exactly what he wants to show and how.

STANLEY KA DABBA is absolutely delicious. Make sure you devour it.

Amole Gupte is magical with kids. And that's because he seems to be as much a psychologist as a filmmaker. After writing Taare Zameen Par, he writes and directs Stanley Ka Dabba, another heartwarming film about children just being children, with all their cares and carefree abandon. And adults just being adults, with all their idiosyncrasies, quirks and secret anguish. The beauty of Stanley Ka Dabba lies in its sheer simplicity and authenticity

When you see the delightful animated opening credits of this film, you are kind of sure of a pleasant experience ahead. Stanley (played by Partho, Amole's son) is refreshing and real, unlike most of the cocky over smart child stars of Bollywood. You warm up to him in the first scene itself when he narrates the story of an imaginary fight he was involved in, to his ever-attentive sweet English teacher (played efficiently by Divya Dutta). The stark difference

Stanley ka Dabba is about a boy named Stanley who actually doesn’t have a dabba. So during the school break, he dips into the tiffin boxes of his many friends. But this irks the Hindi teacher Verma, played by director Amol Gupte, who forbids Stanley from coming to school without food. Verma does this because he himself is a sweaty glutton who devours everything in sight. But Stanley and his friends successfully outwit their teacher

Don’t miss this rich and nuanced soul curry for both, the young and adult heart.

Let me warn you that Stanley Ka Dabba is slow. In places, the story seems stretched. The climax is predictable and not entirely convincing. But I recommend that you make time for the film. It has an inherent sweetness and honesty that will stay with you long after the film is over.

`Stanley Ka Dabba’ is a heart-warmer that wraps itself securely around you, making you wholly unwilling to let it go. And Partho, director Amol Gupte’s son, who plays Stanley, lights up the film. As do his companions.

Stanley Ka Dabba is definitely worth a watch for the simple reason that it has a pure soul. No unnecessary frills added just to increase commercial value of the movie.

Varmaji chews the paan and teaches Hindi for a living. At most schools, these two facts are often mutually inclusive. Varmaji’s face lights up most when he expresses in his chaste Hindi his love for a “Hrisht pusht tandarust, chaar chamchamate compartment ka dabba (a healthy, shiny four-compartment Tiffin carrier).” You figure quite early on in this film that the director – who’s laid out screenfuls of swish pans and close-ups of all kinds of edibles

Stanley Ka Dabba review by Komal Nahta, Business rating: 1.5 stars. What’s Good: The performances; some portions...