Chintu Ka Birthday

A film still

Chintu Ka Birthday Devanshu & Satyanshu

Devanshu and Satyanshu were raised in a middle-class family of a sleepy town called Munger, in Bihar. Their evenings were spent glued to television screens, but aspiring to be filmmakers was ‘an impossible dream for us,’ tells me Satyanshu. While Devanshu somehow followed his dreams of making movies by joining a mass-media college, Satyanshu joined Armed Forces Medical College in Pune to pursue MBBS. In early 2008, Devanshu got a chance to assist Nikhil Advani and around that time, Satyanshu was finishing his MBBS, with filmmaking dreams still unfulfilled. Eventually, he took the plunge, gave up his job as Medical Officer in the Armed Forces and joined Devanshu in Mumbai to make films. By then, the two had already written their first film, Chintu Ka Birthday. A heart-warming film, it was conceived on bits and pieces of paper in lecture halls while the professors spoke about medicine and surgery. As the film releases on Zee5 tomorrow, we connected with the filmmaker duo to know more about it. 

What inspired Chintu ka Birthday?
We were raised in a middle-class family, in a sleepy town in India. Our parents were movie-buffs but aspiring to be a filmmaker was an impossible dream for us. Movies were something to be loved from a distance, filmmaking merely a fantasy. We have hardly travelled outside of India, but through cinema, we witnessed cultures from around the world. We often wondered how it would be to see characters from our small town with those from other lands. How would it be to hear our mother-tongue being spoken with foreign languages?

Our film Chintu ka Birthday was born out of the same fascination we have, with cinema, and with languages and cultures. It carries the values of love and faith that we were brought up with, but is situated in an alien land, a war-zone that has political and historical relevance for all humanity. Working with Arab and American actors, apart from some Indian actors we grew up admiring, was a blessing. As we fulfil our childhood dream, we hope the film manages to touch an emotional chord in your hearts. It is a tribute to the rich and diverse world of cinema and a celebration of our childhood.

Can you give a blurb on the film in your own words?
In the middle of the US-Iraq war, one day in April, 2004, an endearing Indian family prepares to celebrate the birthday of their youngest member, six-year old Chintu. Their kind-hearted Iraqi landlord, a man with a troubled and mysterious past, lends them a helping hand. However, a car bomb goes off near the house, turning the area into a war-zone of sorts, and prompting the entry of two soldiers from the American Special Forces. One of them has completed one year in Iraq and has a more complex perspective of the locals and the war, while the other soldier is fresh, opinionated and ready to kill as many 'terrorists' as he can.

Out of twenty-five friends invited by Chintu, only a couple manage to reach, including an Iraqi street-kid who sells hash and porn videos on the streets -- most of his clients being American soldiers. These characters, trapped inside this house, are forced to question their idea of right and wrong, and the concept of duty. After all, not just a birthday party is at stake, but also political beliefs and human lives. Will Chintu, eventually, get the birthday he deserves? Will the faith of the human heart triumph over the anger and hatred that surrounds us?

Chintu Ka Birthday A film still

A film still

Could you tell me a little about your casting process?
Casting senior Indian actors (Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome, and Seema Pahwa) was easy since we had relationships and contacts that led us to them. Casting the kids was tough. Devanshu personally travelled to different cities for that. Working with kids on our Kashmiri short film helped, but it required a very long process of auditions to finally find the kids. Casting actors from abroad was all done online, with not a single rupee of investment. We worked with these actors during the preparation via Skype and we never met them in person, until the shoot was about to begin. That experience was unreal and thanks to the internet, we managed to get amazing actors who are also brilliant human beings. We ended up making friends for life as well.

This was AIB’s first venture into cinema. What all did they bring to the table? How was the collaboration?
They are the best producers one could ask for. They completely believed in us and gave us the utmost creative freedom. It’s very rare that debut filmmakers have a say in the final cut which we had on this films. Plus, we had a kickass crew, which was again possible because of Tanmay and others. As we approach the date of the release, thanks to these people and their contacts and their following on social media, especially Tanmay’s, we have garnered a great number of hits and audience who are waiting for the film to be released. I would love to continue making films for them, they have been so good to us. 

Chintu Ka Birthday A film still

A film still

The film did a wonderful festival round before finally releasing on an OTT platform, but was the film made with the idea of releasing it digitally? Do you think that will hamper the film in any way?
We always knew that releasing this film on the big screen will be a challenge. We were always mentally prepared to release the film on a digital platform and I think it makes sense too because a film like this will definitely lose money, as we all know how the box office works. However, over the last one year we’ve had several screenings of the film across the country. We travelled to 25 cities approximately and we have seen the response when 400 people watched the film together, and their feedback was heart-warming. Although I feel the film deserves a big screen release/community viewing because it is that kind of a film -- it is a massy film and is a film that will appeal to most people. Yet, we have to accept the market reality as well. Having said that, we do not have any regrets. 

Also, ironically it is wonderful that the film is set in a world where the family cannot step out of the house. The world outside is in trouble and they have to stick together and whatever they want to celebrate, they can do it using things they have inside the house -- exactly what we are experiencing right now. Of course it wasn’t planned and it is ironical and very unfortunate. However it’s interesting that a film like this is releasing at a time when we are staying home, celebrations of all kinds and staying with family has found a new meaning. So that way, I’m thankful that it’s releasing at an OTT platform where it will reach the masses and everyone will be a able to relate to it.

Lastly, how has the pandemic affected you personally?
My lockdown has been very different from others. My wife is a doctor and works at a BMC Hospital, fighting on the forefront. So we are aware of the ground realities. When all this began, it was the 27th of March, which was the day of the Janata Curfew and my birthday too. Later, when the lockdown was announced, I was very disturbed with what was happening around us, but I decided to pick myself up and do something like my wife has been. Hence, I conceptualized online lectures since I have been a teacher myself for over nine years. These online lectures with veterans from the industry helped us garner funds for donations. It was a very fruitful two-month long journey that recently came to end. I feel at peace now unlike what I felt when all this began. Now we have the release approaching, so there couldn’t be a better timing for it.  

Text Hansika Lohani Mehtani