| Stanley Ka Dabba | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Amole Gupte |
| Produced by | Amole Gupte |
| Story by | Amole Gupte |
| Starring | Divya Dutta Partho Divya Jagdale Raj Zutshi Amole Gupte |
| Music by | Hitesh Sonik |
| Cinematography | Amol Gole |
| Editing by | Deepa Bhatia |
| Distributed by | Fox Star Studios Amole Gupte Cinema Pvt. Ltd. |
| Release date(s) | May 13, 2011 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Stanley Ka Dabba (Hindi: स्टैनली का डब्बा) is a 2011 Hindi film written, directed and produced by Amole Gupte, starring Divya Dutta, Partho Gupte (son of Amol Gupte), Divya Jagdale, Raj Zutshi, and Amole Gupte. The film was released on May 13 , 2011.[1]
Contents |
Stanley is a fourth grader who is very popular amongst his friends. He is talented and is liked by his teachers. However, he never brings his lunch box or 'dabba'. 'Kharoos' (miser), as he is popularly called, is a Hindi teacher who does not bring his own dabba but likes to eat others' lunch. Stanley's friends share their lunch with him by hiding from Khadoos. Khadoos eventually finds them on the terrace and warns Stanley to bring his own lunch or stop coming to school. Stanley misses school for a few days and his absence is felt by his teachers and school mates. One fine day, Stanley brings his dabba packed with mouth-watering items for Khadoos. Khadoos realises his mistake and quits the school. Stanley's performance in an inter-school festival is appreciated by everybody. Towards the end, the reason for Stanley's lack of a dabba is revealed.
The film was made on a very low budget. After the success of Taare Zameen Par Amole Gupte wanted to make a small, non-mainstream film. He borrowed money from friends and began shooting with a five man crew in a Mumbai school. The crew shot during four hour workshops every Saturday for a year and a half to capture all the scenes they needed.[2] Shot using a Canon EOS 7D,[3] the film utilised 170 child actors in total. After the film was completed, Gupte showed it to Karan Johar and he helped him to sign a distribution deal with Fox Star Studios.[2]
Stanley Ka Dabba attracted positive reviews from critics across India. Raja Sen of rediff.com gave it a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stating that it was the "Best,purest film to come out of Hindi cinema in a while".[4] Film critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it a rating of 4/5 calling it "heartwarming".[5] Anupama Chopra of NDTV said - "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" and gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.[6] Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph gave two thumbs up to Stanley Ka Dabba calling it "a trip back to the innocence and goodness of childhood". Gupta wrote "because if there’s one thing this movie reminds you, it is: Life is like Stanley ka dabba… you never know what you’re gonna get". [7] Entertainment portal FilmiTadka gave it 3.5 out of five stars and in a statement wrote - "Stanley Ka Dabba is definitely not as opulent as Taare Zameen Par, but the director manages to keep the film on the right track, as an audience I found myself laughing, crying and feeling for the kids. It’s a simple story which definitely reminds one about his/her school days".[8] Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India wrote "Don't miss this rich and nuanced soul curry for both, the young and adult heart", giving SKD once again 3.5 out of 5 stars.[9] It has an aggragate rating of 8 out of 10 on ReviewGang.[10]
Stanley Ka Dabba made Rs 3.8 crore in its first two weeks.[11] It eventually grossed just above Rs 5 crore.[12]
The music of the film is composed by Hitesh Sonik. Lyrics are penned by Amole Gupte.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dabba!" | Sukhwinder Singh | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Jhoola Jhool" | Hamsika Iyer | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Life Bahot Simple Hai" | Shaan | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Nanhi Si Jaan" | Shankar Mahadevan | 5:39 |
| 5. | "Tere Andar Bhi Kahin" | Vishal Dadlani | 5:38 |
| 6. | "Tere Andar Bhi Kahin - Aditya Rox" | Aditya Chakravarty | 1:44 |
| 7. | "Thirsty - Stanley's Theme" | 2:50 |