Chintu Ji

About the film

Chintu Ji is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language film that stars Rishi Kapoor, Priyanshu Chaterjee, and Kulraj Randhawa. It was directed by Ranjit Kapoor (in his directorial debut) written by Shabbir Ahmed. The film was released on Rishi Kapoor's 57th Birthday.

Plot

Rishi (Rishi Kapoor), the son of legendary Raj Kapoor, decides to try his hand at politics and, to garner support, relocates to his birth village, Hadbahedi. The village is located in an isolated area where most trains do not stop, and electricity is only available for 6 hours a day. He decides to shoot a film 'Khooni Khazana' with producer/director Malkani. Once there, he secretly makes a deal to lend his name to an alcoholic beverage in exchange for a plot of land in nearby Triphala and one crore rupees, while pledging to the naive villagers that he has no intention of relocating anywhere. Misled villagers believe Hadbahedi will get popular and modernized and decide to assist him with all their might. Things escalate into chaos and anger when they find out that their valuables are being stolen and the women are being molested by the film crew, while the police accuse them of harboring a terrorist who was responsible for the 13 December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.

Reception

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 out 5 writing, "Rishi Kapoor is the soul of CHINTUJI. The veteran has essayed a wide variety of roles in his illustrious career, but CHINTUJI is special. This is amongst his most accomplished works. Priyanshu Chatterjee looks perfect for his part. Kulraj Randhawa is highly competent. Amongst the assorted characters, Grusha Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla are excellent. Kamal Chatterjee Shabnam, the septuagenarian who plays the dai, is very good. Sophie Choudry is alright. The remaining actors are also well cast. On the whole, CHINTUJI is a gem that deserves a watch."

In 2020, Sukanya Verma in a retrospective article for Rediff.com wrote, "A little gem of a satire, Chintuji -- named after the actor's real life nickname -- needs to be watched and enjoyed by many more people."

Key details