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Way back while watching François Truffaut's '400 blows' a desire to watch a matured Indian film on a child protagonist cropped in my mind. Thanks to the changing wave of Indian cinema Aamir Khan gave us the brilliant Taare Zameen Par in 2007 which was the creation of Amol Gupte (He was the creative director of the film). In 2011 Amol Gupte came up with heart warming Stanley Ka Dabba which reflected the potential he had showed with the screenplay of TZP. Stanley Ka Dabba starts with a highly zoomed shot of a warm day with a school kid (that's Stanley superbly played by Partho) with bruised face, little shabby yet jubilant walking towards the camera. As he enters the school and changes the calendar followed by a sleepy moment of ecstasy within himself reflects the monotonous schedule of a lonely child who is happy with his own supposed peaceful existence. He is the star kid who is good at everything from books to ball without any air of arrogance. His friends and teachers all love him except Khadoos , an appropriate title given by the 4th standard student to their Hindi teacher Verma Sir (played by Amol Gupte). Verma sir is an unapologetic glutton who pounces on others tiffin (dabba) be it the teachers or students. The cold war between Verma and Stanley starts with later not bringing much awaited Dabba for Verma sir to pounce upon. With a beautiful cat-and-mouse game the student gang of Stanley makes Verma run all around the campus everyday till the group is caught red handed. Without revealing the climax it is the emotional journey without getting too filmy that touches the right chord. With Verma realizing his mistake to the oxymoron brutally sweet climax it keeps the viewer engaged and at the end one leaves the hall pondering on certain aspect of Indian society that needs to be taken care for freedom of more Stanleys in real life.
Amol Gupte made a path breaking debut with Stanley Ka Dabba which tells simple uncomplicated story even though it reflects a complicated story about some harsh Indian reality. To tell his story the writer (again Gupte himself) did a commendable job in creating few characters around which the story revolves and took his sweet time in creating each characters. The teachers are sketched out of reality. Rosi Miss (played beautifully by Divya Dutta) is the loving English teacher who is a lady with gentle heart is someone everyone of us again identify. Similarly there is a strict science teacher Mrs Iyer (played by Divya Jagdale) who is not among favorites. Each teacher has been given adequate screen time as needed in the screenplay. Verma Sir (aka Khadoos) is a well edged character and when one expect a filmy flashback on Verma sir's life the writer keeps it subtle making Verma a symbolic extension of Stanley (and different Stanleys in the society). But then to keep Stanley and Verma in the same plane would be blasphemous. While Stanley is symbolizes Friendship and humanity Verma reflects selfishness within.
The technical department played a crucial role in defining the mood of the theme with fabulous use of camera(DOP by Amol Gole) that zooms in amateurishly to speak about the restlessness with Stanley's character or in the scene where Verma Sir looks at the dabba. The scene reflects Dabba being an important character in the narrative. Deepa Bhatia does a commendable job in the editing department and same goes to the sound designer who specially during the rehearsal sequences uses right beats of guitar telling us about the joy inside Stanley. The music is effective by Hitesh Sonik who uses the right instruments for respective moods added to it awesome lyrics by Amol Gupte again to add on to the cream. Specially 'apne andar kahin chupa hai ek Stanley' the lyrics speaks some thousand sentences. And the poems in the film are intelligently human that reminded me of the marvelous poem in another masterpiece film Udaan. (like Udaan I sincerely hope Stanley too wins lots of awards in film festivals and awards)
Amol Gupte avoided filmy clichés and forced emotions while writing the story. He didn't go overboard and in his own lethargic space creates a beautiful world of Stanley and provides a cushion of happiness for the audience. But then suddenly in the flight of happiness he punches hard with a thudding twist that breaks the cushion. Yet the end is optimistic and about hope. The movie didn't come with a sledgehammer and all to tell audience about some problem instead it just tells a story about a sweet child n his problem n how he moulded his life to live in an innocent and optimistic way. A heart warming tale of friendship and belonging that makes 'Stanley Ka Dabba' a must watch.

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Stanley Ka Dabba - a plain storyline, with the regular Indian school setup and largely unfamiliar cast - is a well-scripted,well-characterized brilliantly directed movie that leaves you with an immediate freshness that rarely many movies can do.
Its the story of Stanley, a 4th standard student in a missionary school. Stanley and many of his friends are the quintessential restless,playful and curious kids. They play,share stories,learn together and yes share their 'Dabbas' (lunch boxes)-the central plot of the movie,as you can make out from the title. The story is pretty straight-forward here on. You have the different characters in the teachers. A strict and no-nonsense science teacher, A beautiful and encouraging English teacher. However the teacher who takes the cake(quite literally:) ) is the ever-hungry and mean Hindi teacher(Amol Gupte).
the movie never loses its flavour, displaying with beauty the innocence and puerile nature of the kids and the rhythmic monotony of everyday school that we've all been part of.
Amol Gupte has definitely made one of the best kids-oriented movies in the Indian cinema sphere. Not only is the direction top-notch, he has even acted brilliantly as the insatiably hungry teacher,who shows no shame in eating out of his students' lunch boxes. Special praises to Partho who has done such amazing work as Stanley, and Divya Dutta who just by her sheer screen presence brings in positivity to the frame.
When i saw the title and even until the movie started playing in the theater, I thought this was a children's movie.But soon realized it was a wrong notion. This movie is as much for adults as is for the kids.If you want a break from the regular humdrum of Hindi cinema and want to see meaningful cinema without the preachiness (like Taare Zameen Par) then go watch Stanley Ka Dabba, cause u wont be disappointed. Kudos to Amol gupte for taking the viewers on a nostalgic trip back to school and special mention on how dexterously the message has been woven into the story.

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Instead of going into any comparison of this film with TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, I would like to talk about STANLEY KA DIBBA alone and the cinematic excellence achieved by its director Amol Gupte through his honest and sincere efforts. In few words, SKD is a very simple, sober and free of any gimmick kind of movie made on a sensitive subject related with child education. It is a soulful journey into the small world of the little masters, their truthful friendships, their innocent planning and their lovable concern for each other.
It reminds you of those carefree years spent in the early school days, when there was no tension, greed or cunningness in our hearts for each other. When we used to demand very funny things from the GOD with our eyes closed and hands folded. All those cherished moments of our loving school days are as it is there in STANLEY KA DABBA as if they have been shot with a hidden camera without being in the knowledge of all the children. And that's precisely how it was done by Amol Gupte, reportedly with a minimum technical crew barely visible and using the natural lights available to make every child feel comfortable in his own self. Indeed a highly appreciable task achieved by the Cinematographer Amol Gole and his director Amol Gupte which is clearly visible on the screen in its fabulous frames and striking close ups.
STANLEY KA DABBA needs to be treated a little more than a normal movie, since it brings forward an important issue of child education in our country. In fact there have been numerous documentaries made on this burning topic but for a complete commercial movie the plot has been used for the first time by an intelligent director, backed by a foreign production house.
The film starts off straight from the school premises and also ends right there. So in clear terms it deals more with the School, Classmates and the Teachers and has nothing to do with Parents and Home. Where the first half is very evenly paced taking you into the psyche of a struggling child, the second one goes a little slow but leads to a more solid thought provoking climax, which strikes you real hard.
Apart from its remarkable direction the second ace in STANLEY KA DABBA is the performance of all the kids in the movie. Lead by Partho as Stanley, who is also the son of director Amol Gupte, each and every child in the film is simply adorable. May be they are so natural in their act (without anything artificial) because their shooting was done in a very relaxed ambiance and that too only on Saturdays and Sundays in the form of a creative workshop. Partho is purely the soul of the film particularly in its final sequence which forces you to think about what you are doing for the cause personally.
Along with the kids, the teachers are equally worth watching lead by the director Amol Gupte himself in the role of Hindi teacher Verma Sir. Amol is just superb as the teacher obsessed with food and so is Divya Dutta as the English Teacher. Especially watch for them together in the scene where Divya makes Amol feel his mistake and repent. The other teachers in the staff played by Divya Jagdale, Raj Zuthsi and Rahul Singh also come up with their genuine efforts. In the soundtrack I really liked the Lyrics and Composition of 'Tere Ander Bhi Kahin', 'Life Bahot Simple Hai' and 'Dekho Ik Nanhi Si Jaan Nikal Parhi'. No doubt, a job well done by the Hitesh Sonik with the inspiring words of Amole Gupte himself. (However I really thought it was done by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as the sound was quite similar to TZP.)
The film drags a little after a while because there is no story progression in its initial hours. The director very intelligently uses only suggestive scenes for the Big Competition sequence but still the stage performance could have been more colourful and energetic. Further I couldn't believe that in a Big Private reputed School, both the teachers and the Principal (after so many regular Parent Teacher Meetings) are not aware of the family status of a famous boy of their school and he continues to hide the facts from them for so long. Post interval the film may not be an entertaining fair for everyone particularly the children and you may find them acting a little restless in its final moments.
But more importantly, in reality this is not a children movie at all. In fact it's strictly for the grown-ups who actually are responsible for the current position of child education in our country. And in disguise it's also a tight slap for all of us who very well know the truth but still don't like to discuss or do something about the issue at our personal levels.
As a concerned person wishing to have a better society around me with more happy, cheerful and educated children in the future, I would like to say that just forget about the weak points mentioned by myself in the above lines. As an unbiased reviewer I had to do that but as an aware movie lover I would like to recommend this movie to every citizen of this country, of any age, caster or region. And would like to humbly request everyone to must watch STANLEY KA DABBA if you seriously want all the children in your family to have a better world to live in after we are all gone.

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There is a scene in the movie when the teacher gives Stanley a chocolate as a mark of her appreciation towards his beautifully written essay. With a sheepish smile, Stanley takes it amidst generous applause from his friends. He then tries to put that chocolate into his shirt pocket only to find to his dismay that the pocket is torn and is no good to hold his chocolate. This is one amongst the many bits in the movie that fall into place at the end.
Stanley ka dabba is a story of a kid who is special in his own ways. On the exterior he comes across like any other kid who narrates stories to his friends, sings songs during class breaks, and doesn't miss a chance to have fun. But, the only shortcoming here is that Stanley doesn't get a lunch box to school. It's a problem only according to his Hindi teacher Khadoos Verma but Stanley's friends like all kids have no qualms about sharing their dabbas with him. But, Verma who himself doesn't get a dabba is always preying on others' dabbas gives Stanley a piece of his mind and asks him to get lost till he doesn't get a dabba of his own to school everyday. This point in story leads to the big climax of the movie which I must confess is one of the most overwhelming and extremely touching ending to have seen in recent past.
This movie is all about the magical moments held together by threads of simplicity and honesty. Amole doesn't employ any overtly comical, emotional scene to score brownie points. The movie just floats in a good pace giving enough depth for the characters to evolve and get identified by the audience. He sets up the proceedings so brilliantly that the viewer can't really help but feel like he is in the same class as Stanley's and is actually looking at everything happening right there. And of course, all this culminates into one fantastic climax that'll remain etched in the viewers' memories for long time.
Amole Gupte was last seen in 'Phas Gaya Re Obama' and 'Kaminey' donning the actor's hat. Before that, he was credited as writer and creative director for the beautiful 'Taare Zameen Par'. He comes back with this movie, now managing all the major departments and delivering a movie that's just sheer genius of art.
Amol Gole, the cinematographer of this movie shot it in a hand-held Canon 7D camera because they didn't want to scare the kids away or make them nervous as the kids didn't know at that point in time that they were shooting for a movie !! Yes, the kids were told that these were regular acting workshops and only in the end were they informed about it. These are the things that make this movie look life like and come across as a simple story with an honest intention.
Hitesh Sonik's music and Amole Gupte's lyrics gel so well with the scenes that they seem like dialogues between characters but with a difference.
The kids Abhishek Reddy, Saisharan Shetty, Aman Mehra, Walter D'souza and others have all done a brilliant job considering that they are the real supporting cast of the movie. Divya Dutta as the charming English teacher who Stanley admires a lot is brilliantly casted. Divya Jagdale and Raj Zutshi are good as well. Amole Gupte as the khadoos teacher just carries on the great work he has been doing lately. But, if this movie has to be remembered for one person then it has to be Partho Gupte(Amole gupte's son) who plays the central character of Stanley and seems so natural in every dialogue and action of his as the lovable kid.
What stands out in the movie is the amazing control that Amole Gupte has on the narration of the story. Never does he let the rhythm drop and displays great control on his direction. For me, the dabba was a metaphor for what Amole wanted to convey through this story. It was a medium for him to give out the message in the end.
Its not everyday that I quote Karan Johar but here I go. On the day of the music release, he said, 'There is no mainstream or alternative cinema. There is good cinema and bad cinema, Stanley Ka Dabba is very good cinema'.
Yeah, Stanley Ka Dabba is one of those movies that'll try to give out a message without trying to be preachy or dumping that thought heavily on the viewers' minds.
As an avid movie-watcher , I get disappointed when I watch tons of mindless and stupid movies churned out by the movie industry but still hope that every now and then on a Friday there is a movie like Stanley releasing!

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Stanley ka Dabba is a Sweet time machine which will take you back to your golden days,every character of the film will remind you of someone,your friend,your teachers,your principal,your school uniform,your school bag, your books,& off course your Dabba :). Dabba filled with not just food but with lots & lots of mother's love. Amol Gupte succeeds in getting the same taste in the movie.A movie with a very BIG heart & a heartwarming message.
Performances of all are just great,the teachers remind you your teachers,but the show stealer r the children,specially Partho as Stanley,he will stay in your heart n mind for a long long time.
Watch it & enjoy the ride to your sweetest days,u would feel great,i recommend it to all. Simplicity at it's best,one of best movies you'll be watching for long time.
Hats Off Amol Gupte sir,please keep making more movies.

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The film as its subtitle says is a small film with a big heart.It is the true family entertainer. A kind of film that school kids should see to find themselves on the screen and grown ups should see for nostalgic feeling of school days.
The film, according to me is a gem because it doesn't try to be extra - ordinary or path breaking. The film remains simple, realistic and naive. The film is just like a new born baby.No lime lights or publicity stunts were done to promote the film and thats why I love it even more.
The director 'Amole Gupte' (deserves the respect I have for him) has his own good story to tell which is funny (or witty) but really impulses you in the end when a simple message is conveyed in the most beautiful way!
Beautiful is the word to describe the performances.The kiddo is already a star.Amole Gupte has proved it once again that he is in the same league of Naseeruddin Shah or Irfan Khan, and he has his own place in the heart of Bollywood.
Story is simple yet touchy.Looks as if all the emotions of a school kid are portrayed beautifully on a celluloid.Screenplay is strong and never distracts us from the main track despite of many strong sub plots.
Music is very good and suits the movie. Background score thumps the movie and helps in making it a heartthrob movie.
The film deserves a 5* but it would be a quite heavy tag to carry for a simple and innocent movie.A gracious 4.5* will be suitable.But above all, this film should not be missed at any condition!
I am glad that the movie is not Taare Zameen Par kind of film.Here is no dirty game of snatching credits and above all, no stars try to super- impose over each other ( yes main stream actors like Amole Gupte and Divya Datta are present).
The film will be cherished in my mind for a long time, Thanks Stanley!

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'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!

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I can clap for the whole day for those school children who did a remarkable job and hard work, not even missing the Saturday-Sundays and other holidays of school and instead participating in this theatrical drama. Hats off children. Secondly, great acting by Stanley Amole Gupte and Divya Dutta and other staff too. The best part of the movie is that there is no flaw in it except the duration of the movie. I think they could have added much more to it. But i suppose the director wanted to keep it short and simple.Movies like these makes me proud that yes we( Bollywood) also have something to present, something original.I wont be surprised if it will be given the National Award for best film. The TZP team have did it again. Great work. We need more of such kinds.This movie will fetch your heart in the beginning only and you will crave for more. Don't miss it

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Amole Gupte's directorial debut Stanley Ka Dabba pictures a kid who never brings his dabba (tiffin box) to school, gets attracted to his classmates' tiffins, gets scolded by his 'khadoos' Hindi teacher and sometimes just manage to satiate his hunger with tap water. The kid is Stanley. From bruises on face to his incapability of bringing tiffin, he finesses with false reasons for all, cutely wrapped in his juvenile voice. Dressed with unwashed clothes, torn pocket and bag, one really expect a reason for it and a story beyond it. Though somewhere on a predictable note, the story telling promises it in a refreshing way. 'Khadoos', the Hindi teacher, played by Amole Gupte himself, has a lust for food which becomes his weakness that deviates him from teaching Hindi in class to discussing the size of tiffin boxes of children.
Stanley's dabba gang has varied characters who marks their presence with genuineness and innocence, from the tiffin rich kid to the true friend. But Stanley is the star in his own way. With his gifted talent, he never fails to cherish his sweet Rosy Miss (Divya Dutta) and also the audience!
In such a simple-straight story telling which is yet beautiful, how does it matter much even if the back cast performances are felt amateurish? Not much, really. With Partho - the star kid, Amole Gupte, Divya Dutt making their presence very real, the film flows gracefully. Also, the art-direction right from the kitchen to the classroom makes the movie look more real. Background score sounds well and also the song picturisation adds flavor to it. Jhoola Jhool in the voice of Hamsika Iyer being my personal favorite.
With not much packed in it's first half, Stanley Ka Dabba offers you a light hearted, not-at-all spicy, healthy treat in its course of less than 2 hours. It brings smiles, tears and not only serves you a delicious entertainment but also a cause to realize! Watch for it!
Stanley Ka Dabba! Have it!
Ratings: 6.5/10

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I really liked the plot of the movie, although it reminded me of my school day's.'Stanley' character played by 'partho gupte' was awesome. Super like the movie and the character played by 'Amole Gupte' was marvelous. The film depicts a close relationship of those 'child laborer', whose parent's are no more. The film story in beginning can't be predicted to be so emotional in the end.I hoped that film could have better ending, i was waiting to see more. All part played by the character's in the movie was excellent.I wish to see the character 'Khasdoos' played by amole gupte at the end.Still the movie did well as the movie 'Stanley ka Dabba' won my heart.

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A perfect family movie with a moral and lots of suspense as to what actually Stanley is hiding and where is the lunch box coming from? The movie keeps you hooked till the end because of the suspense and fabulous acting by the lead role kid and the teacher who hogs food from student's lunch box in the break. He starts developing hatred towards the kid because he thinks that kid is having his share of food and his friends are supporting him. The teachers Mrs.Iyer and Rosy have done a great job. I was longing to see this kind of movie since taare zameen par. I would rate 9/10 for this movie and the way it ended. Worth watching with the whole family especially the kids will love it.

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Mini Review: A movie that will make your hearts open, will make you smile, will make you loath a couple of teachers, mostly the 'khadus', will make you dance with joy. It's a simply story of realistic character Stanley who for some reason can't get his tiffin box or 'dabba' to school, and Hindi teacher popular as 'khadus' who derives pleasure from eating from children's tiffins. A tug-of-war is hilarious at times except for the end where it becomes slow, emotional and brings about a message. Cast and support cast is brilliant, technicalities are given preference, music is just to move the movie forward and not add any masala to it which is mostly the case with Bollywood.
Who Should Watch It? People who love children, who miss their school, who crave for innocence in day-to-day life, who believe life is simple. Also, the movie lovers, who love the performances, direction, cinematography and more such finer aspects of the movies.

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I cried a few times. Some times when I remembered feeling like Stanley. Many a times when I remembered knowing somebody like Stanley.
In many ways, adults are less wise, more insecure and less resilient than kids - 9 year olds in this case. We seek pity, we are quick to judge and somewhere along the way we came to know reality through our lens of cynicism and apathy. Kids seem to get on with it, take people on face value and see reality as this manifestation of their own imagination.
In India, child labour is a reality and quite frankly in many parts of the world, some developed, some developing, to varying degrees, unchildlike acts of bonded labour, abuse and trafficking happen. But what is really worthy of a 10 is not that this film gets you thinking from your mind, but that it gets you feeling from your heart for this uncomplicated, slice-of-life story with child protagonists but I dare say extremely appropriate for adult audiences.
Amole Gupte has made a brilliant film, with a fantastic script, amazing photography from Amol Gole, an excellent ensemble cast including all of the kids. He translates his passion for cinema so exactingly on to the screen as a director. For his performance as Khadoos, he should be top contender for Best Villain Award at next year's 'Some atrocious sponsor Flimsy Affair Awards'.
This film reminded of a poem in the Hindustan Times some 20 years ago about 'Groan-Ups'. 10/10.

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Nice entertainment with high morale...This movie contains..very high morale theme..results attachment with theme from starting frame of the movie..excellent direction with awesome acting from all the characters..Its a story of cruel teacher and student....FULLY ENJOYABLE...Stanley (played by Partho) is the most popular boy in Class 5. His friends want him around all the time, whether it is to play football after school, to bellow out the Kaminey song, Dhan tan tan at the top of his lungs, or to listen to those wild stories that he spins without a blink of an eye. We learn early on that Stanley does not bring his own tiffin lunch. The director doesn't spoon-feed us with the reason, only giving us a shadow of pathos in the scene where we see the boy secretly quenching hunger pangs by drinking straight out of a tap in the school toilet.
Few films have the heartwarming impact of Stanley Ka Dabba, which takesyou right back to the wonder years of your school life. Those back benches, sharing sandwiches out of each other'stiffin 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.

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Alright I did not cry in this movie because I am not one to cry, but if there ever was a movie in which I would cry this would be it. This movie was almost perfect. It kept you interested throughout and there is no way you can get up from this movie mid-way. The ending of the movie hits you hard. So please people watch the whole thing. This movie has won the movie of the year in my heart, and definitely should win the movie of the year for any award, filmfare, the foreign film at the Oscars(they better send this movie to the Oscars). Have no idea how anybody can give this film less than a 9..Please do yourself a favor, and instead of watching a stupid comedy watch this movie.

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A heartwarming tale of a school boy as seen from the school boys eyes. this is a complete child film made for children and goes much deeper than other films in exploring the psychology of children. It does not contain dramatic moments, but there are multiple layers in the film which unravel as film progresses. each shot is measured, controlled and devoid of any dramatics. life as seen from children's eyes is very simple and innocent and the viewer can experience that simplicity and innocence through the film.
TZP was more oriented towards parents but this movie is for children. every child should see this. there are so many harm warming moments which the viewer can relate to their school days that after some time you stop counting and flow with the narrative. there is no one dimensional character or filmy stuff.
all actors have done very good work and the music does not intrude with the narrative. editing is crisp, dialogues are non filmy and camera work is excellent.
Wish we have more such films made for children.

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Loved every moment of this movie, and the performance of Partho Gupte the child artist. He was phenomenal throughout, very natural acting. The movie had a great message as well about child labor. I was surprised to learn the director himself is the hated teacher, that was another superb performance in the movie.

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What a brilliant movie ut is which will melt your heart with its love and sincerity. Great story and direction by amole gupte and his son. Hats off for this simple yet heart touching tale. Full marks for this gem of a film..

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It's a movie which we can watch with the entire family. It has got a lesson, a lesson that how even children act brave and keep things to themselves in a cruel atmosphere. In executing the run it makes you weep, yes even my emotions flew.
Everybody associated with the movie has acted superb, they just win your heart!
There are certain movies considered underdog and this is one of them. Although it highlights for a cause, it does justice to both cause and entertainment. You should watch it and watch it till the end.

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A lovely slice of life, you'll be crying when the end credits roll and you'll be smiling while you are doing so.. 10 Stars to this instant classic!There are enough reviews to give you an idea of the story, but no review can do justice to the wonderful performances by all actors involved. My favourite character is of Akram who has a screentime of no more than a minute, won't tell you anymore, watch it for yourself ;)

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It reflects the circumstances surrounding India.Children have to work so hard like stanley, whether he like it or not.It is unfair.But it is unavoidable.I guess He think that is natural and never thought it is weird.It is the point.No one hasn't succeeded to return it.

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Stanley ka Dabba is a film written and directed by Amole Gupte. I never felt the need actually to see this film as I didn't feel much attracted to the subject before. But after seeing the film, I can say that I was overjoyed. These films go out to prove that stories with good content still do exist in Bollywood.
Plot: The story of a Hindi Teacher who scolds a child for not bringing his own tiffin.
Story and direction: The film doesn't start out with that much interesting scene. It paces very slowly to introduce us to the world of Stanley, our protagonist. But as it catches up I remember being hooked to this film. I myself have studied in a Christian school in Mumbai for 8 years of my life. So I could very easily relate to the school environment portrayed in the movie. The Christian schools have mostly English speaking teachers. I laud Amole for bringing that fact in the teachers of this film. Also, each time a tiffin used to open in any scene, my mouth watered. The climactic revelation also shocked me for almost 5 minutes. That was just like someone punched me in the face. But still there are some flaws in this film. The film's camera work wasn't that great. It sometimes looked that a documentary was being shot and there are so many shots where the focus is on someone's face i.e. no wide angle shots. Also, it looked like in some scenes that Amole Gupte was trying to replicate Taare Zameen Par. If he had treated this film different than that film, I would have been more happier.
Performances: Partho Gupte stole the whole movie. The innocence that his character portrayed was perfect. No wonder he got a special mention in the National Awards that year. Amole Gupte was also good as the Hindi teacher (He is just named 'Khadoos'). He can safely be called the villain of the film. Divya Dutta was also good as Rosy. Rahul Singh was perfect as the Christian principal of the school. All the kids in supporting cast were also just right.
Music: The songs for this film are mostly situation related. 'Dabba' by Sukhwinder Singh was my track of the film. The rest were just OK.
Favorite Scene: The scene where Stanley brings up a science project to the teacher and she immediately rejects it stating it's not related to the course and a bit expensive. This scene highlighted to me the problem of our education system right away. We don't want children to think out of the box.
Verdict: This film affected me a lot in a whole other dimension. Watch this film for Partho Gupte. He is one hell of a child artist.
I am going to go with an 8.5/10

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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

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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.

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We might have seen many films in which children play some part or the other. Also we have seen some supposedly children's film which actually are made for adults to understand though they center around children. But have we seen any movie recently which actually depicts how children think of adults? To fill that gap correctly and perfectly comes Amole Gupte's 'Stanley Ka Dabba.' A poignant tale of a under-privileged child, Stanley Ka Dabba discusses some points of school life which are never touched in a very heartwarming way without being preachy. Also it talks about the role of the teachers in the present day society in the brought-up of the children and does not just lay the onus on the parents for their brought-up.
Every school teacher has a lot of responsibility in guiding a child to learn and become the best. But if a teacher has misplaced priorities and treats his students with contempt rather than love, then there is every chance for the children to be misguided and become burden for the society in the future. In the social context, the message delivered by Stanley Ka Dabba to the teaching community as well as the society is to handle children with care and love and do not hurt their tender feelings and that wish of being WANTED.
Stanley Ka Dabba is about two individuals, a teacher and his student who have one thing in common, they do not bring their lunch boxes to the school. While the student, Stanley has a lot of self-respect and fills his stomach by drinking water during lunchtime, the teacher Varma pries on the lunch boxes of his colleagues and also students, yet he despises Stanley for not bringing his lunch box.
Why Stanley does not bring any lunch box? Why does he always drink water and fill his stomach? It doesn't even occur to the teachers and also the Principal to inquire about Stanley and his condition? Stanley Ka Dabba poses a lot of questions to the schooling system of the country in general. While the Government run schools offer mid-day meals program and generally take care of the children and their hunger, what about the private schools? Do they have similar program at hand? If not, why not they start a similar program? How does the teaching community deal with the creative thoughts of its students? Is it right to dismiss the creative thoughts in a jiffy saying that it does not pertain to the curriculum? Is it right for the teachers to discriminate on the writing hand? Amole Gupte, the writer-actor-director-producer of this amazing, 'Stanley Ka Dabba' seems to know the issues faced by children in and out. He was the person responsible for 'Taare Zameen par' and he is the one who gave this wonderful film. He played all of his parts of a writer, director, producer with aplomb, and without doubt he did full justice to the character of Khadoos, a teacher who is forever lechering after food.
Playing the title role, Stanley, is Partho who did a wonderful job. He offers a delightful performance. He understates his role well and his dialogues in the climax really break your heart. An amazing act. Divya dutta is the other notable performer in the role of Rosy Miss and she does well.
Stanley Ka Dabba was released last year and did generate some positive talk at the box-office. But it did not sustain a long run and film lovers like me could only catch it on a DVD. I bought one, and am bringing it out to you just to tell you not to miss this one. Its an important collector's item.

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