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By Joginder Tuteja, October 12, 2009 - 14:14 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Kulraj Randhawa, Saurabh Shukla, Grusha Kapoor, Sophie Choudry (special appearance), Anu Kapoor (guest appearance), Kseniya Ryabinkina (special guest appearance)
Director: Ranjit Kapoor
Producer: Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt Ltd., Next Gen
Music: Siddharth-Suhas, Sukhwinder Singh, Abhishek Ishteyak, Amjad Nadeem
Lyrics: Ranjit Kapoor, Yash Bharadwaj, Shabbir Ahmed, Sameer
THE FILM
As stated by Rishi Kapoor himself, the film is 'part fiction, part reality and part illusion'. Though on paper this does seem like a PR driven statement but as reels unfold, you realize that this is actually the case.
So here we have Rishi Kapoor, who in all his graciousness is willing to play a spoilt old brat in the film. As an actor who has been in the industry since decades now, he is used to all the adulation and respect from people around him, something that he takes for granted. So much so that when he decides to get back to his town of birth and aspires to run an election, he wants everything on his platter in spite of limited resources and simple treatment by the inhabitants there.
All of this may not just get repetitive and monotonous after a while but also a turn off if not handled well. Also, an actor may tend to get a little carried away and overboard due to the situation he finds himself in. In this aspect, Rishi Kapoor scores in a big way. He is required to be a little over the top, bring on his eccentricities, get a little loud and indulge in some slapstick as well. Still, he manages to keep a fine balance on, something that makes one look at him with respect.
Reason being that in the past there have been number of actors who have attempted a comeback on the big screen but have failed miserably. Rajesh Khanna is the recent example of that while Manoj Kumar, in his last few movies after which he finally hung up his boots, was simply disastrous. The only few actors who are still managing a gracious outing are Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, who is good only when he wants (Apne). Meanwhile, Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha have quietly allowed themselves a backseat.
Coming back to Chintu Ji, there are quite a few scenes, especially during the first half of the film, that keep audiences in chuckles. His reprise of 'Tumne Kabhi Kisi Se Pyaar Kiya' [Karz] during his first interaction with the huge crowd at Hadbahedi is a riot. So is the sequence where he is craving for whiskey and a Bengali doctor smuggles it for him followed by a script narration.
Meanwhile, the satire is not concealed as there are direct references to Vijay Mallaya and Amar Singh. In fact one of the highlight scenes of the film is the one where Annu Kapoor (who plays Amar Sanghvi) reaches out to Rishi Kapoor with a 'proposal'. Only an actor of the caliber of Rishi Kapoor could have performed the way he eventually does. He is also quite effective during the film's climax when he redeems himself even as the entire town comes together to get his 35 feet tall hoarding up from the ground.
In the second half though, Chuntu Ji starts meandering into different territories. It is understandable that director Ranjit Kapoor did want to present a town that could exist only in stories. Still, the entire 'ram rajya' element is stretched a little too far as the inhabitants treat even a molester with all love and affection, give in to all the unreasonable demands of Rishi Kapoor and his friends and don't even complain when the actor stabs them in their back.
Still, what one remembers is Rishi Kapoor's bravura act and also Saurabh Shukla who dominates the proceedings in each of his 4-5 scenes. As a haggard producer who just wants to finish his film by hook or crook, he is tremendous from beginning till the end. This is one performance of his which deserves much more recognition and appreciation. As for Kunal Randhawa, she is good in the screen space provided to her. Priyanshu is decent though and is most effective in his outburst scene with Rishi Kapoor towards the climax. Sophie Choudry sizzles in her well tuned and choreographed dance number 'Akira Kurosawa'.
What mars the film though are some really average production values. One can sense that the film has been made on a shoe string budget. However, what wins eventually over such blemishes is a new story and some good entertainment quotient which makes Chintu Ji a good watch.
PACKAGING
Chintu Ji comes in a regular plastic case. One wishes though that the packaging was much more attractive.
DURATION
The film's duration is 110 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Making of the Film
It is good to watch the 'making of the film' before playing on the DVD as it gives a brief insight into the 'spirit' and 'mood' of Chintu Ji. The shots are interspersed well as they range from bytes by cast and crew, actual shooting in progress, functioning of crew belonging to different departments as well as happenings on the sets. There is some trivia shared as well that does manage to bring on the smiles. On the other hand, some actual scenes from the film that are included as a part of the making do succeed in making you look forward to what Chintu Ji has in the offering. Crisp and concise, the 'making' segment isn't the most innovative that one would have seen in the past but does solve the purpose of its existence.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
PRICE
Rs. 99/=
CONCLUSION
2009 has been one of the most prolific years for Rishi Kapoor a.k.a Chintu Ji in real life. He started off the year with a brilliant performance in Luck By Chance which some believe (including this writer) has been Rishi Kapoor's best role and performance in last 5 years at least. This was followed by Delhi 6 where he was good but had to contend with those two and a half scenes that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra decided to feature him in. Kal Kissne Dekha saw him experimenting with not just his characterization but also a wig but unfortunately, his villainy act got him quite a lot of flak. There were interesting moments though in Love Aaj Kal where he was good again but audiences were left asking for more.
Well, audiences won't have much to complain in case of Chintu Ji features the actor from start till the end of the film. A film, where Rishi Kapoor not just plays a central protagonist but also lives an 'I, me and myself' role, all with a smile on his face, Chintu Ji is satirical and also very contemporary.
 
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