'Chintu Ka Birthday' review: Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shomes' film is a ray of hope in this difficult time of quarantine

Love, empathy, and affection- these aren't words you may generally hear while watching a movie that includes the American invasion of the Middle East. However,'Chintu Ka Birthday'manages to bring out all these emotions through the tale of a family making the most of a birthday, amidst a war-torn neighbourhood, in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

Meet the Tiwari family, who because of unforeseen circumstances gets stuck in Iraq's capital, Baghdad. Bombs, gunshots and violence are daily occurrences with the tensions prevailing between the American and Iraqi militia. The plot revolves around the 6-year-old Chintu (Vedant Chibber), whose excitement and expectations for his birthday makes you forget about the horrifying reality outside. Chintu's father Madan (Vinay Pathak), mother Sudha(Tillotama Shome) and sister Lakshmi (Bisha Chaturvedi) try their best to make sure their favourite Chintu enjoys his birthday party. Even the grumpy oldNani ji(Seema Pahwa)helps out, who always accuses Madan of their misery.

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The celebration at the Tiwari household though is interrupted soon by uninvited guests at the door- American soldiers who are looking for a suspected car bomber.

The movie introduces us to two American soldiers, Reed and Jackson. Reed, being in his first week in Iraq has a lot of preconceived notions about its people, believing most civilians are secretly Iraqi rebels. Jackson, on the other hand, having been here a long time is more aware of the existing civilian misery and therefore is more patient and understanding of the locals. The difference in their ideologies spins out an interesting dynamic between the two and their interactions with the Tiwaris.

Directed by Devanshu Kumar and Satyanshu Singh, the film has a short run-time of 83minutes and is available for streaming on OTT platform ZEE5. The whole film has been shot inside the four walls of the family house. One may say that this restricts the viewers from getting a feel of the tense war zone outside. But, the excellent sound effects by Bishwadeep Chatterjee make up for it. Especially when the two soldiers enter the house, the noise of the bomb blasts and screams of the people, help the viewer distinguish between the positive environment inside the house and the negativity outside.

'Chintu Ka Birthday' has a very tight script that manages to gives us a gist of what the Tiwaris went through the whole year, by just showing their one day on screen. The narrative of the film never gets too predictable and always keeps the audience on their toes. Even though the script does go back and forth in time, the writers make sure their remains no holes in the plotline. One thing which stood out was the use of beautiful animations in the first half of the film to explain the backstory to the audience. What made these visuals even more special was the narration by none other than birthday boy Chintu. With references like 'America wale uncle' (George Bush) and Raja Sadam Hussein, Chintu made a complex lesson of world history sound so simple.

The film has brilliant performances and excellent character developments to boast off. Vinay Pathak perfectly fits in the role of Chintu's father, a man who would do anything to see a smile on his son's face. From fixing an ancient-looking oven to helping out wounded Jackson, his undying optimism is something that never falls short. He believes in the goodness of people- like for instance when his Iraqi landlord Mahdi acts suspiciously in front of the American soldiers, Pathak still believes he is innocent. Tillotama Shome's acting as a Bihari mother is a class apart, as she successfully manages to mould herself into the local dialect effortlessly. Not only did she perfect her dialogue delivery but she also sang a Bihari song in front of the whole family. We get to see a mother who not only comes up with quick solutions in the kitchen to keep the birthday plan on track but also proves to be the rock of the family when her husband is beaten up by the American soldiers. A special mention to Bisha Chaturvedi's acting, who excels in her role as the elder sister. Always looking out for Chintu, she tries to make sure that her baby brother has the best birthday this time.

In Hindi movies, the audience generally roots for the hero to defeat the villain. But, in'Chintu Ka Birthday' there are no watertight compartments. Here, there is only one hero, and that is human empathy. All characters display empathy through the course of the movie to win the hearts of the audience, even the irritableNani ji.

So while you are stuck in quarantine, you may want to ask yourself, do you want to celebrate Chintu's birthday party?Watch this film for the simple yet powerful message of love in these difficult times. As they say, a family that sticks together stays together.