Jude Anthany Joseph's third feature, after Ohm Shanti Oshana and Oru Muthassi Gadha, released on Prime Video at midnight today. This seemingly feel-good film, also seemingly made in limited spaces and with a shoestring budget, tackles a concept and issue never tested before in Malayalam cinema circles. In Sara'S, we follow the life of Sara Vincent (Anna Ben), a young, bubbly, yet unapologetic filmmaker who struggles to make it big in the industry. She continuously assists male directors and is in the scripting works of her dream film. Sara has decided, from her school days, that she would not bear any kids. This is when she meets Jeevan (Sunny Wayne); her relationship with him subsequently brings her ideology and decision into a confrontation with the established norms of society, family and child-rearing. Anna Ben in Sara'S The best aspect in which Sara'S has excelled, without doubt, is its hard-hitting taut script. Debutant Akshay Hareesh deserves praise for managin...
Chintu Ka Birthday was one of the first Bollywood movies to release on an OTT platform, as theatrical releases have now become a far-fetched possibility owing to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The film, helmed by debutant director duo Devanshu Kumar and Satyanshu Singh and produced by the popular ragtag of team of Indian comedians, All India Bakchod (AIB), had a fine crop of talented artists in the lead, with the likes of Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome and Seema Pahwa. Produced on a shoestring budget, Chintu Ka Birthday is currently streaming on ZEE5.
What worked best in the film was its relatively small runtime of 83 minutes. Yet the makers succeed in providing the viewers a heartfelt and touching cinematic experience, that, as the credits roll, we may yearn for more. Valuable time isn't wasted on long, tedious conversations and melodrama, and thus prevents Chintu Ka Birthday from becoming a tedious affair.
Chintu Ka Birthday kicks off as we a see a middle class expat family, living in war-torn Iraq, readying their house for the birthday celebrations of the eponymous character, Chintu Tiwary(Vedant Chibber). Despite every Indian in Iraq leaving the country for their homes, the Tiwaris have not been able to escape from the perilous and conflicted environment, owing to a few technical hassles. Chintu's father, Madan, played by the ever talented Vinay Pathak, is a water filter salesman in Iraq. The other members in the family are Chintu's mother Sudha (Tillotama Shome), his grandma (Seema Pahwa) and his sister (Bisha Chaturvedi). Even though the surroundings are charged with a war-like ambience, Chintu's parents toil hard to throw their son the best birthday party. A slew of mishaps happen before the celebrations kick off- the birthday cake hasn't arrived as the bakery has been bombed, the oven to bake a new cake malfunctions, etc. Yet, Chintu's doting parents and his cheerful sister pull through all those for the sake of the six-year old Chintu. Contributing to their efforts is the Tiwaris friendly and kind-hearted landlord, Mahdi (Khalid Massou). The ongoing birthday party is unexpectedly crashed by two American soldiers, who raid the house following a bomb explosion nearby. The soldiers, eventually, end up stuck in the household, due to the delay in the arrival of a convoy meant to pick them up. How the family tries to conduct Chintu's birthday in such an uncertain atmosphere forms the rest of the narrative, spanning a relatively short duration of 83 minutes.
Chintu Ka Birthday belongs to that crop of well-intentioned, heart-warming narratives that have the ability to buoy your spirits, presently distressed and down due to the perilous and uncertain atmosphere we are in. The film is innocent like its six-year eponymous lead. In the beginning minutes he narrates how his family reached Iraq and how they have been trapped in the conflict-ridden country, despite the rescue of other fellow Indians. The narration, visually depicted in cartoon animation, and the way Chintu narrates it are reflective of the innocence of the character, an innocence, which we are reminded, was once there in all of us. As Chintu describes George Bush and Saddam Hussein in his own child-like idiosyncratic manner, we see and are reminded how children are able to perceive such large, popular figures as personalities close to their lives. Chintu narrates, in fact, how the 'America wala Uncle' (George Bush) couldn't stand the happiness of the Tiwari family, as they began their expat life in Iraq, that he sent American troops to destroy their joy.
It was Vinay Pathak who managed to grab my attention as I watched this film. Pathak has proved, time and time again, with his astute choice of movies, that he is capable of carrying a film's narrative on his shoulder. We can't help but empathize with his father character, a loving figure, determined to go to great lengths to see the smile on his son's face. Add to that the ever graceful Tillotama Shome, who plays an equally sweet and considerate mother. Biswa Chaturvedi also delivers a delightful and laudable performance as Chintu's sister.
Apparently made on a shoestring budget, the most laudable aspect in this film is how the director duo managed to make optimal use of their limited resources to pull off a visually genuine portrayal of an Indian family stuck in Iraq. The elements of the conflict, apart from the dust flying after an explosion, is orchestrated with a deft use of sound effects and color grading. A majority of the film has been shot indoors, while only an alleyway leading to the house belongs to the assortment of exterior shots.
As debutants, the duo have managed to impress, by presenting a tale of hope, resilience and, most of all, harmony in difficult times. Although, what disappointed me was how the makers failed to build on Chintu's narration, and resorted to simply portraying the events unfolding in the household. Had the innocent child-like narration be used for the entirety of the film, Chintu Ka Birthday would have been an even interesting watch. However, the film will have hooked on to you as credits roll, thanks to the reliable and timely performances by its leads, the likes of Pathak and Shome, who never fail to impress.
Moreover, Chintu Ka Birthday is a striking, if not powerful, statement against war and the perpetrators of it. The makers weave in the characters of the two soldiers in such a humane way, that at times we come to the realization of how war and armed conflict of ideologies and leaders take its toll on the men fighting the war.
Chintu Ka Birthday is to be watched for it's humane and innocent portrayal of a family stuck in Saddam-era Iraq. It touchingly depicts the lives of expats in war-torn countries from a child's innocent perspective, and is a reminder of how, despite the travails we face, some moments succeed in bringing people together, irrespective of their various differences. Chintu Ka Birthday rides on the capable shoulders of Vinay Pathak and Tillotama Shome, with the noteworthy performance of Biswa Chaturvedi.
Reviewer© rating: 4 stars
Run time: 83 minutes
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