Three Reasons Why I Loved “Chintu Ka Birthday.”

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Don’t we all love birthdays? Perhaps, the only day of the year which you can proudly call ‘your day’.

I still remember the birthdays of my childhood. The excitement of going to school in my ‘fancy’ dress. The million-dollar question of deciding who would accompany to distribute toffees to the whole school. Then, going back home to be treated like a king, getting all the presents. Finally, the cake!

I am sure you have your birthday memories. Everyone deserves to have a Happy Birthday! However, what if all of this is snatched away from you through no fault of yours?

The recently released Zee5 Original Film, “Chintu Ka Birthday”, depicts the celebration of Chintu’s 6th birthday amidst the tumultuous Iraq War in 2004.

Without giving away any spoilers (hopefully), here are the three reasons why I loved “Chintu Ka Birthday”:

1. The endearing characters

A close-knitted Bihari family from Bihar trying to figure out a way to celebrate their youngest son’s 6th birthday despite being stuck in Iraq during war times make for an absolutely relatable and endearing set of characters.

Whether it is the dependable father, the loving mother, the protective elder sister, and the adorable Nani, all of them seemed like characters like you might have at your house, sitting right next to you.

All of this can be owed to the honest performances of the actors: Vinay Pathak (father), Tillotama Shome (mother), Bisha Chaturvedi (sister), Seema Pahwa (Nani) and last but not the least, Vedant Chibber (Chintu).

2. Crisp screenplay

With a run time of only 80 minutes, the movie makes for a crisp watch with no useless songs or gags only for the sake of entertainment.

The movie is majorly shot in a single house, and the scenes continue seamlessly one after the other as if it’s a single take.

3. Unique plot and social commentary

A simple concept of a child’s birthday has been uniquely placed in a war-stricken foreign land. The movie brilliantly shows how desperate everyone in a family is to make the youngest child’s birthday, a memorable one, despite the odds.

In the process, the movie ends up showing the pains of Indian families stuck in Iraq with no support from the Government. Furthermore, it touches upon the lives of the local people as well as the US Soldiers who were fighting the war at the time, showing both sides of the story.

In conclusion, I would recommend you to watch this movie for the sheer honesty and dedication through which it has been made, despite the relatively smaller canvas.

Writer - Snehil

Edited By - Dhiraj Kumar Agrawal