Truly, a little story with a big heart This is the bottom line of the movie and it sticks to it right from titles.The story is told right in the title animation itself but it's much better than that actually. But how it will unfold is something that has to be seen only. You will find a boy Stanley going into a class and telling stories to justify every act he does. And then the teachers make an entry that is a statement in itself each one's is as natural and as hilarious. It's a science teacher and English teacher and yes the Khadoos Hindi teacher who will be most ruling for major part. Filmed in school for 95% of the time, this movie brings back the school day memories alive.This is story of food and how important it is for anyone, and specifically to children. And in what irony, we are. One gets huge lunch boxes; one never gets anything to eat and fills his stomach by water. This isn't tear- dropping thing but yes a thought provoking one. Then, one man gives away his self dignity and respect to grab food and one denies the same to protect his self respect.The characters are so well written that we can relate to anyone of the children actually and yes it's a complete walk in retrospection to school days that makes this small film a worth watching engaging thing. The production values disappear at few places but that has to be given for the producers who do not have money enough to shoot it better, the editing could have has been better but barring this few unneeded hindrances, it's a story that's universal and prevailing and that has to be taken seriously about.Kudos to the writer- director Amole Gupte who brought such a beautiful story even without the big names like Aamir Khan (who was instrumental in bringing out Taare Zameen Par), the eccentricities like the intro of Aamir, the boy being turned from hopeless to a bright child and all. This is much simple, and much more natural too but the climax is hard to digest and for me the tears rolled down as if they were so very natural.Happy to have watched this, and given a chance please do watch it. It's 4/5

Stanley ka Dabba is one of the finest movies in the Hindi film industry. It is a simple movie with great subject, great performances and equally great direction. It is not an easy job to get such splendid performances out of school children. The movie touches a very important subject in India in a very unusual manner. Hats off to the director! Special mention to Partho for portraying the character of Stanley in almost perfect way. I hope Amole Gupte continues making such amazing, thought provoking movies in future. The movie is just about an hour and half long, yet it captures the childhood of Stanley so well. This one is for every age group - Stanley will make you laugh and cry.

Plenty of superlatives have been laced around this gift of cinema by the common man and the critics alike. Having stated my grievance over the local (read Malaysia) Hindi film distributors, it's been no surprise that "Stanley Ka Dabba" never saw the light of day in a market that I see as a melting pot of cultures and has a tremendous future in its entirety. But business aside, I consider myself lucky to have laid my hands on this gem of a movie after some trials since its release. Considering the pragmatic message of the enterprise and the manner its told, I'd do my best to spread the fire (if it can be called that) amongst masses where pre conceived notion of a Bollywood potboiler has run riots, more so lately. Emergence of absolute trash in the past few months and its glorified success stories augurs bad for the industry as it is. But what that trend has done is make SKD stand out and brought along a bag of possibilities.The tribulations of Amole Gupte and the crew while making this project a reality, is just a click away on plenty of websites. However let that not influence Your reasons to fall for this charmer. My bet is, a few seconds into the screenplay and You will forget much of it anyway. That's for me, is what a movie's sole purpose if. Make You leave Your world behind and get You connected with the protagonist immediately. The introduction, the conflict and climax are woven seamlessly giving the viewer the pleasure of time, money and energy well spent. With that said; a very very special mention to all the kids involved in the movie, led by a nonchalant powerhouse performance by Partho (incidentally the son of Amole Gupte) and the man himself, playing the protagonist and antagonist respectively. If You have never felt a lump in Your throat or may have forgotten how it felt like (since it's been that long), watch out for Stanley. Most likely he will get You and get You bad. By no stretch of imagination is this a saccharine coated or a painstakingly sad tale. If anything at all, this will be long remembered for its well sketched climax, that could potentially knock You off; numb. Special note to my Indian friends who haven't had the pleasure of watching this yet, a word of caution. We in our lives, even if it's for once have come across one "Stanley" and that will be with Us long after the credits have rolled.Technically it's a lesson in film making for aspiring story tellers of all forms and sizes. I remember what an interviewer once asked a celebrated movie director of Malaysia during her interview "When You're thinking about a film, does it start with an idea and how does it come to life?". To which one of my favourite film makers, Yasmin Ahmed replied "It never starts with an idea, it starts with a feeling". Well although I haven't read / seen any interview of Mr Gupte around his solo directorial venture yet, I am almost certain that it must have been a feeling that stuck to him in good stead and made him gift us "Stanley Ka Dabba". How else would You explain a 90 minutes screenplay based on a subject matter that may come across as trivial at start but gradually builds up to make a special space in Your heart and mind culminating to a very very special message.Only recommended for ages 3 to >100.

'Stanley Ka Dabba' is a GEM of a film. Writer-Producer-Director-Actor-Cinematographer, Amole Gupte, makes a film, that is soft, simple & seamless. It doesn't have superstars, it doesn't have chart-buster songs, it doesn't have stunning locales to boast....but what it has...is a Big Heart! 'Stanley Ka Dabba' is a nearly flawless film about a child, who comes to school without a Dabba. And as he can't get a Dabba, a greedy school teacher, who hogs from every Dabba in the school, kicks him out of the school. It's then Stanley's journey to get to back to school, with a Dabba! 'Stanley Ka Dabba' is one of the most moving, well-written & well-executed films in the past 5 years. It has a story to tell, it has it's heart at the very right place. Amole Gupte is truly a supremely talented personality. 'TZP', was a fabulous film, but 'Stanley Ka Dabba' is a nearly flawless cinema. Apart from it's slow-pace in the beginning, I found everything, in terms of writing, direction, acting, cinematography as well as the editing, to be super.The Soundtrack is decent. Performance-Wise: Gupte, steals the show with a fascinating performance. He plays the greedy teacher, with perfect understanding and rare ease. Partho, who plays Stanley, is very sincere. Divvya Dutta is good. Raj Zutshi & all the other actors who portray the roles of the teachers, are first-rate.On the whole, 'Stanley Ka Dabba' is amongst the best films in the past 5 years, as it has story to tell, which is simple, seamless & very interesting too. Don't Miss This One!