Chintu Ka Birthday Full Movie Review...
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Chintu Ka Birthday is a modest filmwith an out sized heart. Brothers Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh, who’ve also written the story, don’t let their limitedbudget get in the way of their ambition.
The film is set in Baghdad in 2004,post the fall of Saddam Hussein, but the action is confined to one house. Visually there is little to play with and yetSatyanshu and Devanshu keep us hooked. This is a film brimming with sweetnessand innate human decency. Which often doesn’t make for good cinema,because bad behaviour is plot. But here, it works.
Largely because Satyanshu and Devanshu are skillfulwriters, working with a set of terrific actors. Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome, Seema Pahwa and theunassuming Bisha Chaturvedi as Chintu’s older sister. Chintu Ka Birthday is the story of an Indian immigrantfamily, caught in the throes of the Iraq war. But it also works as a commentaryon American aggression, the futility of any war and specifically this one.
A local describes both Saddam andthe Americans as snakes. The horrors of living under a despotic regime, the indifference with which the Indian governmenttreats its citizens. The ways in which big events impact ordinary lives and the connective tissue, however frayed, between humanbeings, irrespective of geography, colour and language.
At the center is a six-year-old boy named Chintu playedwith heartbreaking innocence by Vedant Chibber. Chintu’s serious stare, his dimplesand his simple desire, all he wants is a memorable birthday – put into sharpfocus the brutality unfolding outside the house. It’s almost as if this home is the last bastion ofhumanity, left in this desolate landscape.
Chintu’s doting parents, his nagging,but loving grandmother and his older sister are determined to give Chintua celebration, that he can remember. But the school has been bombed,the baker is dead. The odds are daunting. In places, the big ideas in the filmare stunted by the small scale. We don’t see what’s happening outside,but the smart sound design by Bishwadeep Dipak Chatterjeecreates an atmosphere of battle. However, the two American soldiers,who storm into the house are less effective. They are bland and come off as stock characters, whoare pieced together after watching Hollywood films.
Which is in sharp contrast to the family. The Tiwary's, who have been transplanted from Biharto Iraq, are etched with affection and precision. Their language, mannerisms and ways of dealingwith each other are rooted in authenticity. The directors construct a lovely moment of grace, when Chintu’s mother sings a song for himand his grandmother joins in. It’s almost as if time and violence stand still.
Which is in sharp contrast to the family. The Tiwary's, who have been transplanted from Biharto Iraq, are etched with affection and precision. Their language, mannerisms and ways of dealingwith each other are rooted in authenticity. The directors construct a lovely moment of grace, when Chintu’s mother sings a song for himand his grandmother joins in. It’s almost as if time and violence stand still.
Chintu’s father’s name is Madan Tiwary. Madan, he explains to the soldiers,means the God of love. Which is desperately sad, given the lovelesscircumstances these people are in. But the earnestness in Vinay Pathak's faceallows us to believe, that this unlikely story could come trueand perhaps compassion can conquer. And that’s a glimpse of hope,that we can all use right now. You can watch Chintu Ka Birthday on ZEE5.
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