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. Khadoos as he is popularly called is a Hindi teacher who likes to eat other childrens lunch. Stanleys friends share their lunch with him by hiding from Khadoos. Khadoos eventually finds them in the terrace and warns Stanley to bring his own lunch or otherwise avoid coming to school. Stanley misses school for a day or two and his absence is felt by his teachers and also his peers. The next day, Stanley brings his dabba packed with mouth-watering items for Khadoos. Khadoos realises his mistake and quits the school. Meanwhile, there is an interschool festival in which Stanley takes part. His performance is appreciated by everybody. It is later revealed that Stanley is an orphan who is taken care by his cruel uncle who brutally beats him.

Production

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. Shot using a Canon EOS 7D, 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.

Soundtrack

The music of the film is composed by Hitesh Sonik. Lyrics are penned by Amole Gupte.

Box office

= Stanley Ka Dabba made Rs 3.8 crore in its first two weeks. It eventually grossed just above Rs 5 crore.

Critical reception

= Stanley Ka Dabba attracted positive reviews from critics across India. 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. 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". Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India wrote "Dont miss this rich and nuanced soul curry for both, the young and adult heart", giving SKD once again 3.5 out of 5 stars. Film critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it a rating of 4/5 calling it "heartwarming". It has an aggragate rating of 8 out of 10 on ReviewGang.

Track listing

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