This Birthday Party cannot be Missed !

Movie: Chintu Ka Birthday

Cast: Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome, Seema Pahwa, Bisha Chaturvedi, Vedant Chibber

Rating: 4/5

"War tends to tear us apart. It is Family that keeps us together and safe"

Chintu Ka Birthday is a heartwarming story of an Indian family trapped in the war-torn country of Iraq. The movie introduces us to the Tiwary family which comprises of Madan Tiwary (Vinay Pathak), his wife Sudha (Tollotama Shome), their daughter Lakshmi (Bisha Chaturvedi), son Chintu (Vedant Chibber) and Madan’s mother in law (Seema Pahwa).

The movie begins with the Tiwary family preparing for Chintu’s birthday party. The narrative is shifted to the point of view of 6-year-old Chintu who explains to us the current situation in Iraq (year 2004) when the USA have declared war and sent forces to Iraq and this has led to the downfall of the Saddam Hussain’s regime. His understanding of a complicated situation like this with the help of drawings and storytelling is portrayed brilliantly. It shows the futility of the war and how both sides are suffering equally because of a decision taken by big American uncle - President George Bush. The plot spans over a single day inside a house and it is the most important day for Chintu - his 6th birthday. Chintu is shown as an innocent and adorable boy who is the youngest member of this Bihari family. He had been deprived of a normal birthday the previous year due to the ongoing conflict. So the whole family is busy trying to organize the perfect birthday party for Chintu this time.

The family is shown as being completely desensitized by the surrounding violence - which has become a part of their life. In the entire film, the outside conflict is shown only in the form of the loud sounds of bombs and bullets. 

Madan is shown as a happy go lucky person who remains positive and happy despite the difficult circumstances they are facing. He is introduced to us reciting the Hanuman Chalisa which is very common among Biharis in India. 

The movie starts on a very positive note where Chintu is getting ready to go to his school on his birthday. He is excited to go to school and distribute chocolates to his friends. But then we are brought back to reality when Chintu is informed that his school area has been bombed and his school is closed for the day. 

To uplift his mood, his mother Sudha and Nani sing a heart touching Bhojpuri song which is ironic to their current scenario. Sudha and her mother have been portrayed as contrasting characters, the former as optimistic and content, while the latter as highly pessimistic and cranky. Chintu’s sister, Lakshmi is trying her best to make his birthday party a success. She is shown as mature and responsible who understands the pains and sacrifices her parents make daily for their well being. 

Chintu's parents are shown as optimistic people who have brought up their kids in these extraordinary circumstances with an unflinching hope and have tried to shield the kids from the outside world.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to the landlord of their house Mahdi who is a local and has some traumatic incident in his past as a prisoner. He has lost his family, but he loves to watch this happy family stay at his place and he wants to be a part of it. 

The story further shows the sorry plight and uncertainty in the lives of stateless people throughout the world. The Tiwary family is ignored by the Indian government as they entered Iraq illegally on Nepali documents hence making them stateless. 

This illusion of normalcy in the house is broken when two uncalled guests barge in. The two guests are soldiers of the American army - one a veteran in the Iraq war and another newbie who has just come to Iraq a week ago. The soldiers invade their private space to investigate a car bomb. It also highlights the plight of the innocent people living in Iraq and how they are continuously harassed and tortured by these invaders (US army). 

The newbie Darren Reed is aggressive which shows his inexperience, while the other soldier Louis Jackson is much calm and composed because of his experience. The perspective of American soldiers is also highlighted in the movie. It shows how the American soldiers are stuck in Iraq under the orders of their government and the mistrust which has developed between them and the Iraqi people. 

Chintu's best friend also joins his birthday party along with a girl. They have also joined the party in the hope to have cake. The boy is shown to be attracted to militia’s agenda and it highlights how a country in conflict pushes the youth towards terrorism. 

Madan pleads with the soldiers to let his son have a normal birthday party. The cake for Chintu is the highlight of his birthday. The preparation of the cake goes through various obstacles and failures but in the end, Chintu gets to cut his birthday cake which marks the success of his birthday. The cake portrays the life of the Tiwary family who were looking for a single day of normalcy and happiness. They had to go through a lot of difficulties, but they find their peace in the end.

The entire cast is fabulous and gives life to this simple story. Vinay Pathak perfectly captures the desperation as a father who just wants a single normal day for his son and touches your heart with his performance. Tillotama Shome as the simple and supportive wife is brilliant as usual. Seema Pahwa is perfect as the nagging and frustrated grandmother. But the real stars are the two child actors - Vedant Chibber ( Chintu) and Bisha Chaturvedi (Lakshmi). Vedant's innocence makes you root for him and Bisha's tenacity and vulnerability humanize her character and connects with the audience on an emotional level. The relationship between siblings is portrayed in a beautiful manner. 

The screenplay stays tight despite having such a limited scope. You connect with every character on an emotional level. There are moments in the movie where the scenes choke you with emotions.The cinematography by Siddharth Diwan in this limited setup is up to the mark. It never raises a level to add another dimension to the story but stays within its limit.

The directors Devanshu Kumar and Satyanshu Singh are the real winners who keeps us engaged and committed to the characters throughout the movie. And he deserves extra kudos for doing it on such a low budget where the entire movie has been shot in a single house in Delhi.

This movie shows that every human being hopes for a normal and happy life irrespective of the circumstances surrounding them. There are no winners in war but finding happiness in such a dire situation makes you a winner.