Chintu Ji

If one has liked the books like Raag Darbari and has liked films like Jaane bhee do yaron and Welcome to Sajjanpur then Chintu ji is a film to be watched. Chintu ji is a simple tale about a Utopian small city and is shown without using any kind of gimmicks. It is shown in a simple manner. Like Raag Darbari and Welcome to Sajjanpur it is also a social satire and there is a full dose of situational comedy. Dialogues are crispy. Music is good and especially a song Akira Kurosawa...Cappola may titillate the funny bone in the audience. At the time when comedy films are turning fast into sex comedies, this small budget film brings a neat entertainment to the audience. Plot is original and except few weak things which could be improved, Chintu ji is a nice watch. Film is dependent completely on the shoulders of Rishi Kapoor and he has done his job successfully. It is good to see that Rishi Kapoor has got such a role and he has done full justice to the role. In fact most of the actors have played their roles very well. Saurabh Shukla, Annu Kapoor, Grusha Kapoor, Priyanshu Chaterjee, Kulraj Randhawa and many other actors have done well. Sophie Chaudhary was used effectively for a song. Some audience may like the references to an old film of Raj Kapoor and may like to see a Russian actress again after so many years in Chintu ji. Film could have been better if last 20-25 minutes were improved more. To watch with family it is a good entertaining film. This is a debut film of the renowned theatre director Ranjit Kapoor and that way it is a good attempt. Hope he delivers many good films in future.

A gem that was missed and is continued to be missed.

Barring a couple of songs there is nothing bad in this movie. It has wonderful people nice emotions and also a subtle message. Still, it was neither known nor recognized it seems like this film was never made. Somehow, I got this and watched it. Wow, I found a little gem myself which I can proudly show to my family.

This is a film that is based a rural place call Hadbahedi and is visited by Rishi Kapoor who is told to be born there. There is a rival village which is more famous but because of misdeed. While Hadbahedi is not know, it has lot of good values. People do not even eat non vegetarian or eggs. Liquor is not touched. There are not many facilities yet people seem to be contended. That's the essence of the village.

Rishi Kapoor who is fondly referred to as Chintuji plays his own role. Just that he is a narcissist actor who loves himself and needs money to get himself out of trouble. He is selfish and inconsiderate too. Rishi Kapoor plays the role with aplomb and ease and makes it his own. I dare say, only he could justify the role and I cannot think of any other actor doing Chintu as Rishi did it.

The film is intelligent at times and seems stupid too, but the best part is it never takes itself seriously. And that's the reason it works. It's embellished with few delicious moments and nice scenes that make us tickle and chuckle pretty much from the word go. Though there are some uncalled for subplots like a guy being accused of terrorist or a journalist being kidnapped, they do not let us deviate from the main plot and that's good.

For songs, as afore mentioned, those were not needed, but one song which takes the names of world famous directors from Akira Kurosawa to Vittoria De Sica and many more is just hilarious. Many moments like this make it a fun watch.

The screenplay is quick and the editing seems fine for much of the film. The performances by much of the little characters be it a rickshaw puller who comes in one scene or Maa ji, seemed great. But again, it's the uninhibited performance of the protagonist Rishi Kapoor as Chintuji that makes it work.

I wish this is either re-released or is selected for few festivals coz it deserves a wider audience and appreciation than what it actually got. I am going with probably a high rating of 4/5, but it's OK coz I loved it.

I wonder why such beautiful and fresh films are made in such a few numbers in Bollywood. It is a beautiful script with power packed performance by Chintu ji aka Rishi Kapoor. Set in the small village .... err.... town... Hathbahedi, a place where there is still "Ram Rajya". They call the only famous person ever born in their town... Rishi Kapoor ... and treat him like god. They change their lifestyle because of him, even put their religion at stake and the "big filmstar" is just using them. In the end however good wins over evil and he changes. A good movie which I can watch again for its comic timing and Rishi Kapoor's acting. Kulraj Randhawa looks stunning and has acted well as well. She will go a long way in the film industry if she chooses her films wisely and does not opts for a skin show. Priyanshu Chatterjee is one of the best newcomers in the industry and it breaks my heart to see that he gets so few films. He is a powerhouse of talent but still I get to see him in so few movies.

Overall a very good movie, well made too. These kind of movies should be promoted more and should be made more often.

You may not have seen its posters on the hoardings or any promos running on the major T.V. channels, but "Chintu Ji"surprisingly manages to get released in a decent way among the other big banner flicks hitting the theaters this Friday. Coming from Bobby Bedi, the man behind movies like, "Bandit Queen", "Mangal Pandey" & more, it was expected to be something fresh and out of the routine. Inspired from "The Man Who Came To Dinner" (1942), the plot is surely novel and interesting, but the treatment is too simple as compared to the current trends, lacking the essential entertaining comic punches required by the subject.

The story revolves around "Chintu Ji" the real life name of Rishi Kapoor, as he is fondly called by his family and friends in the industry. He plays himself in the movie as the superstar of yesterday now willing to try his luck in Politics. The residents of a small village called "Hadbahedi", discover that it was their village, where Chintu ji was born and also named "Chintu" by an old lady of the village still alive. So, in view of drawing attention to the backward state of their village, all the residents invite Chintu Ji to visit his birthplace once again. Taking it as a good opportunity for launching his political career, Rishi Kapoor accepts the invitation and visits the village in his chartered plane. And then it's all about how he manages to live in the tough conditions of the village, striving hard for his favorite liquor and non-veg dishes.

The plot had the capability to win over its viewers, but the execution makes it a little drag after a few initial absorbing moments. Performance wise, the film entirely belongs to Rishi Kapoor and his effortless act where he shows the other side of the famous public figures, not known to their numerous innocent fans. He carries the whole film on his shoulders getting ample support from Priyanshu Chatterjeeand Kulraj Randhawa. Priyanshu, undoubtedly stands tall among the most under-rated actors of the new generation, who are sadly not being offered the right kind of projects to prove themselves. And also there was no need for the extra story angle related to his character in the movie. Kulraj Randhawa moves ahead from her punjabi projects and impresses to a great extent.

Music needed to be much better, thinking about the wacky song calling the names of all the world famous directors, included in the movie without any purpose. So this is one major department where the film lacks a lot. Cinematography is competent capturing the earthy locations in a fine way. Director Ranjit Kapoor had a good vision for his project but the end result could not emerge as a clear winner. In my opinion use of more quality comedy sequences related to the Bollywood Film Industry could have helped the movie a lot.

Actually the project belongs to the genre of "Welcome To Sajjanpur" released last year, which also talked about the life of different people living in a small village. But the finesse we witnessed in the Shyam Benegal movie is completely missing in Kaleidoscope's "Chintu Ji". Still you can watch it for a pleasant change from the regular stuff being offered to us every new Friday.

In Hindi cinema today it is rare to find an original idea. The billboards in Bombay are awash with films that rely on very thin plots and even thinner costumes. They are mostly selling films that shamelessly "borrow" their ideas from the best and worst of Hollywood and popular World cinema. Chintuji is a breath of fresh air in that it relies on an original plot and superb performances to entertain its audience. Rishi Kapoor's brilliant performance is as brave as its is funny, poking fun at the very nature of stardom and "Bollywood Hero" worship. Maybe Ranjit Kapoor's script hit a raw nerve by lampooning the very nature of stardom in India today? It is good to see that Bobby Bedi is still taking risks with his choice of film too. At the end of the day though it is Rishi Kapoor's endearing and hilarious performance that makes this film a winner. We need to see more films like this come on the screens in India today.