An Unprecedented Indian movie. Never before. Hope this has opened up the floodgates. We need independent writers who are not held down by the big studios. Really sad to see Chintu ka birthday not getting a theatre release and coming out in VOD format.
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devburmansaptarshi5 June 2020
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nairtejas17 October 2019Chintu Ka Birthday (Chintu's Birthday) is a difficult film to review because although it has its heart at the right place the constant flipflopping between comedy and thriller made me slightly uncomfortable both as a viewer enjoying good cinema and a discerning entertainee trying to not describe such a proceeding therefore as contrived. The idea of a sweet, small Indian family of five trying to celebrate its youngest member's birthday in a war-torn Iraq soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein is a unique one. And I love how the film takes place within the span of a few hours and yet does not lose sight of time. I don't know who comes first in acting here when you have Vinay Pathak as the father who will remind you of your own paternal figure, or the supremely talented and film festival feature usual Tillotama Shome whose one smile is enough to make you fall in love with whatever character she is playing (and she also sings in this with Seema Bhargava), or Bisha Chaturvedi the daughter whose expressions have been shot so well you will love that particular scene when she's looking at her father, that brave man who just rolled some magic into the wind because all he wants is to celebrate the birthday. I struggled a little with the overzealous performance and slightly pretentious writing of the Iraqi character played by Khaled Masso as well as the mercuric characteristics of the two American soldiers who enter the screen sometime in the second act but when I look at the underlying message and the idea that has been used to convey that, I cannot stop singing praises of Chintu Ka Birthday, a film that is as sweet as the marvelous vertically scrolling animation snippet that takes you into itself at the beginning softly narrated by Vedant Chibber the innocent-looking young boy who plays Chintu. TN.
(Watched at a limited screening at Matterden, Mumbai.) -
ekagrarawat1019 July 2020Brilliant story and very well acted, shows the reality of Americans, how they have destroyed innocent people's lives living in these countries π€¦π.
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ushawaghmare8 November 2019First of all A!B i love you this movie was spectacular a must watch movie
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rajthelucifer5 June 2020A great movie to watch which is nicely crafted and well written. Chintu wins all hearts and Vinay sir does it again.
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Chintu Ka Birthday is a heartwarming little movie that requests you not to shed your last ounce of optimism during trying times. It's an international collaboration starring Vinay Pathak, Tilottama Shome, Seema Bhargava, Nate Scholz, Reginald L. Barnes, and a few others. Written and directed by Devanshu Kumar and Satyanshu Singh, the story revolves around an Indian family living in 2004 Iraq and how they're prepping to celebrate the birthday of six-year-old Chintu, the youngest member.
While it begins as a feel-good film with all elements in place, including cute Chintu (Vedant Chibber, who never goes overboard), his sweet sister Lakshmi, their loving parents Sudha and Madan along with Nani, the story takes a turn when their Iraqi landlord Mahdi pays a visit during the occasion, followed by Chintu's Iraqi friend Waheed. You even get a little comic-book-styled backstory of Madan's family and how they ended up in Iraq. Some laughs ensue, courtesy Waheed and his great comedic timing.
However, things get serious when two American soldiers knock on the family's doors. I appreciate the filmmakers for not toning down the language or the extremities at play in the later acts. Yes, there's a certain suspension of disbelief since nearly everything takes place within the confines of the house, but the warm performances of the ensemble carry it all the way through. While I'm quite sure that a lot of viewers may perceive the optimism displayed by Madan (Pathak) as a little excessive, it works given the circumstances that we find him in. Everyone in the movie's got a conscience.
This is a film with its heart entirely in the right place, and it was indeed touching to see the Tiwaris not giving up on wanting to celebrate Chintu's birthday, no matter what. You get a scene where the family goes through a harsh interrogation, but their bigger concern is how Chintu's birthday cake gets burnt. Several moments like these light up the film. And our hearts! -
It's chintu's birthday everything is set, only problem is chintu is in War torn Baghdad, will chintu able to celebrate his birthday? Vinay pathak and Tillotama shome shine as a couple, Seema pahwa finds a corner in your heart, the kid who plays Chintu never looks tired on camera and other members of party are also very good with their respective roles.
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vinayh-398955 June 2020****** SPOILER ALERT ******** Movie fails to connect dots as why Mahdi was running has never been revealed. Also, movie doesn't mention why they used nepal nessport to visit Iraq.
Slow paced -
aniruddhawaghmare30 November 2019A visual treat with great acting and directing,it is a movie that no one should miss a must watch movie
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compazhar5 June 2020The main theme of the story is nothing new bt the premise is. we have seen movie about parents going lengths for their childrens happiness. wat stand out about this movie is the execution. it movie falls in category of bheja fry, mixed double, dasvidania. whole movie is shot one home with no outdoor shoot. acting is spot on and it have sme very simple and beautiful moments. a good too watch movie
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yuvrajmathur-701495 June 2020Such a beautiful film, different storyline and unexpected climax
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The movie is good no doubt but how do you get Nepali passport and didn't even realize till you are inside Indian Embassy. When you can speak good english in front of soldiers but can't find out about your tempered citizenship. Why the landlord was running is other issue but how come 2 children at your door to eat the cake when soldiers are waiting for route to clear. Overall a movie to watch because of short duration.
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asankabg-11 May 2021This kind of movies getting higher ratings and appreciations, but still I do not understand the rationale behind the hiding the harsh realty of life from children. Until when can we hide the truth from them, safeguarding them completely from outside world which they must face inevitably alone in one day.
It is okay to have birthday parties or celebrations, but does it worth loosing everything over it? You should always expect the unexpected, not to be disheartened over the changes. We(humans) only just an entity belongs the nature and we do not own it. Our religions, cultures and all the conventions have been established by ourselves and nature does not give a damn about it. Let the children grow with the idea how trivial we are to the nature, not the other way around. It will heal the lot of crisis situations we have been facing right now, because of the narcissism and selfishness of we humans. -
jating5 June 2020Light hearthtouching movie . always feel very thankful to aib for quality content
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maskaravivek-965955 June 2020One of the best movies that I have watched in recent times. A must watch.
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mastimeinmohit10 June 2020Maybe the whole thing of "keeping the family together" would be liked by lots of viewers but as a script it is not at all justifying. lots of dots were left unfilled. very slow pace. just another srk type movie. Iraqi war times and Vinay pathak used as marketing stunt. Very slow pace.
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π¬ Chintu Ka Birthday (2020) REVIEW . π Plot : During US invasion of Iraq some illegal migrants are waiting to get back home to India. As one such family prepares to celebrate the 6th birthday of their youngest member Chintu, their kind-hearted Iraqi landlord lends them a helping hand. . π¨ββοΈ Review : Chintu ka birthday is an heartwarming tale which is enhances the fact that how small things matter even in times of turmoil. This one melts you. You feel the emotional vibe of the characters as the performances are so genuine. The Writing is apt, the Characters shine. This one will definitely bring a smile on your faces. . π Goods : Vinay Pathak makes this movie his own. A Genuine Actor. Tilotama Shone as the wife depicts the character with much conviction. The kid Chintu is so Innocent and Lovable. . π Bads : Tell me if you find one. - π₯ Final Rating : 9/10 . β Recommendation : Watch this with your family and do tell me how much you liked it. .
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ketgup835 June 2020Chintu Ka Birthday is a desperate attempt of a father to ensure that his son cuts the birthday cake in a war-torn country. Will Chintu be able to cut his 6th birthday cake in this current-reflection-of-the-situation film ? Let us find out
Chintu ka Birthday is a fictionalized story of an Indian family who are stuck in a lock down situation at the backdrop of real events which occurred after US invaded Baghdad, Iraq and captured Saddam Hussein.
There were times Bollywood used to make simple and warm stories on lives of middle class family. Films like Baaton Baaton Mein, Chhoti Si Baat, Sansar or even the recent Tumahri Sulu which touched the hearts of the audience as you could connect with real-life characters. Directed by Devanshu Kumar and Satyanshu Singh, Chintu ka Birthday shows "How far can you go to bring happiness to your family" which is packed with powerful performances.
Chintu ka Birthday opens on a light note with family preparing to throw a birthday party for 6 year old Chintu who, unfortunately, has never been able to cut a birthday ever since they moved to Iraq. The situation gets worse when Chintu meets guest at his door in form of US soldiers who arrive at the premise to investigate a car bomb which exploded few meters away from family's abode. This is where the plot thickens and Chintu ka Birthday becomes further interesting to watch
While the frst half is pretty solid, the later part of the film loses the steam. Few questions do comes to your mind - inspite of US soldiers exploring the entire house and finding only DVDs of extremist and landlord hiding in the house since he was scared, they keep on inquiring and threatening the family to divulge the truth, which was not convincing. The screenplay falters and could have been better prepared to make it engaging, especially the interaction between the family and soldiers. The climax, though decent, could have been made to make it a memorable film. While editing is sharp (the length of the film is just 1 hour 20 minutes), art direction, background score and cinematography is good to make you feel like a war-ongoing-situation.
Few actors have evolved themselves over the years with time and age like Vinay Pathak, especially with films like Bheja Fry, Dasvidaniya and Chalo Dilli. I admire his performance since he plays character of a desperate father who would do anything in the world to celebrate his son's birthday with ease and utmost sincerity. Tillotama Shome would surprise you with her Bihari accent as if she is actually a middle-class mother who supports her husband in the time of turmoil. The child actor who plays Chintu is good while Seema Bhargava as usual is dependable. Rest of the star cast do justice to their role.
Overall , if you are looking for some good family film which perfectly resembles the current situation we are going through , Chintu ka Birthday is the right choice for you. Adding in Vinay Pathak and Tilotama Shome's amazing performance , it will be a treat for you. Good 3/5 -
iftekharwafid13 June 2020Very very beautiful flim...Brilliant casting...Outstanding performance by Vidant and all...Beautiful background score...brilliant cinematography...and Tanmay Bhat opπ€
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Being a bihari, I loved the way the characters talked on the screen. Its like flawless native language that was being used. First 10 minutes of the movie was so much heartwarming. Things get ugly when there is a twist in the movie, when the soldiers knock on the door.
The one thing which irritated me, was there other language being used too freequently in the movie, many things were going on, heated arguments, the passport logic, soldiers interrogating the family, the director tried hard to keep the soul of the film in place but it seems he failed at many places.
If this was supposed to be targeted at the Indian audience and supposed to be a family movie, why there were so much 'f' word being used by the soldiers. Majority of the Indian audience would have loved the native touch of the movie and the regional language being used in the movie but they would not understand the english and the Iraq language in the movie.
Other than that, every frame of the family scene is very well made. A decent watch I would say. Loved the regional song in the movie. -
maanikroda5 June 2020One of most interesting yet soulful Zee5 original films. It depicts the love, care and empathy for the youngest child in the house. Rightly so, the lead character Chintu tartly plays the role of a young yet innocent kiddo. This is a story when The USA shot Saddam Hussein. April 2004. I do remember that his mom, dad, gramdma and sister through a letter says "don't trouble any family member". That was the highlight of the movie. His sister made a cake for him. But when two US soldiers come it got burnt. The US soldiers were absolutely outstanding. They did know that seeing a Indian family tradition, one can't be a terrorist. That's how they leave Vinay Pathak. Everyone in the movie played a key role. I wished that movie could be stretched. There should be more emotionality scene that the director could've put. I didn't know that it was AIB who produced it. Frankly the movie was far good than Alia Bhatts movie!
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rish200621 December 2020A fresh new story, giving us the knowledge about how rough and tough life can be in Iraq with its regular shootouts and blasts. All the cast acted well.
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jaytiwarial11 June 2020No idea why there are so many people going bananas on this movie, it's a decent movie, but sooooo illogical, Yes ! I will put logic here as many people are recommending not to, and also vinay Pathaks character is very irritating
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itsbxa5 June 2020Beautifully narrated the story even the small things like history of Iraq is also Narrated in understandable easily way so even a small kid can understand the story it lost stars as the climax i was expecting something more
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anujbawa-670725 June 2020After a long time watched a movie like this. What a Superbbb Mindblowing movie. Contents, characters, actors and story screenplay Mindblowing. I love this movie and just wanna watch it again and again. What a fantabulous acting by Vinay Pathak and all team. Kudos to all team and also thanks for team to give us such a fantabulous movie.πππ