First things first, if you think that Stanley Ka Dabba is Taare Zameen Par’s sequel or a similar version of it then you are completely mistaken. Of course, both the movies are directed by Amol Gupte for sure and both have stories revolving around school kids, but that does not make Stanley ka Dabba just another version of TZP.
This one is certainly a lot funnier than Taare Zameen Par and you will not find any student suffering from dyslexia or any other health problems that affects their educational capabilities in any way. In fact, Stanley ka Dabba takes you back into the memory lane when you were a kid.
The plot revolves around Stanley (Partho) who comes to school before any other kids walk in and he is certainly the most popular kid in the class because of his bol-bacchan smartness and imaginative stories and lies that he weaves extremely well with innocence.
However, he never brings any tiffin to school like his other classmates do and he usually survives the day depending on the food that his friends share with him. There are different subject teachers like the lovable English teacher, Rosy Miss (Divya Dutta), and irritating Science teacher, Mrs. Iyer (Divya Jagdale) and the ever-hungry Babubhai Verma (Amol Gupte). Being a foodie, Babubhai Verma has a reputation of eating what other teachers and students bring in their tiffin. However, problems begin when he begins to stick his hands into the tiffins brought by Stanley’s classmates. The rest of the plot is all about how kids tackle the pressure and getting rid their foodie teacher.
When it comes to performance every character in the movie looks real and simple to the core. It is a great attempt by Amol Gupte to cast his own son Partho in the lead role and exploring his raw talent, rather than taking Darsheel Safari who was the true hero of Taare Zameen Par. Partho has innocence and honesty smeared all over his face and that makes you smile instantly. He is absolutely natural on screen along with other characters. Amol Gupte handles his role as Babubhai Verma with all his experience and talent. He certainly makes you feel that he is the Khadoos teacher in the school. Divya Dutta, Divya Jagdale, Raj Zutshi, Aditya Lakhia and Rahul Singh are good in their character role to support the story. On technical scale, the cinematography by Amole Gole is refreshing and the camera captures every minute details to ensure you don’t miss out the fun. Music by Hitesh Sonik is decent and lyrics are penned by Amole Gupte. Most songs play in the background and they fit well as per the situation so you almost feel like movie has no songs, although the songs actually connect with the feelings that characters are going through. Amol Gupte has written the story and it’s a good attempt again to try something different from Taare Zameen Par and Paathshaala.
Unlike, Taare Zameen Par there is no social message that comes out half way through the movie. Although, the movie does tread on different minor issues that students face when they are at school and somewhere down the line the plot also talks about child labor, but most part of the story tells us about the innocence and honesty of kids who are ready to battle their problems in their own honest ways. The movie keeps you laughing most of the time and reminds you of your school days when you would impulsively try things with your honest heart. In other words, Stanley ka Dabba is just a simple kid’s story that will make you laugh, cry and make you feel go back to your school. It’s a delicious treat for your soul.