:: Kishwar Desai

Bobby to Chintuji

Kishwar Desai

Sept.05 : Recently, watching a preview of Bobby Bedi’s latest production, Chintuji, in Delhi, attended by the cheery Rishi Kapoor himself, I realised that with more than 100 films behind him, he may yet become the most prolific and enduring actor from the Kapoor khandaan, following his grandfather Prithviraj, and his uncle, Shashi.

From the plump, awkward adolescent in Mera Naam Joker (1970), Rishi Kapoor changed dramatically within three years and captured the teenage imagination with his heroic lovelorn avatar in Bobby (1973). Raj Kapoor’s paean to troubled romance was a perfect and convincing launching pad — setting many tremulous hearts on fire. But Chintu, as he is popularly known, is an unlikely chocolate-box hero — he is not good looking in the traditional fashion, certainly not in the mould of Randhir Kapoor who inherited the famous twinkling blue eyes and RK mantle with ease, nor does he have the rippling muscles of the Khan biradari. But he has a certain honest, impish charm and his hard work has always paid off. So whilst Randhir decided to call it quits, in despair over the cinema which was being produced — Rishi has plodded on determinedly, and now, almost like a "reel-life" incarnation borrowed from the blockbuster Karz, keeps coming back. (Memorably, Karz was another landmark film which was showcased by Farah Khan in her celebration of Indian cinema Om Shanti Om.) Or, perhaps, he never really went away.

So has Rishi been the luckiest among the Kapoor khandaan? Of course he was fortunate that he was groomed by the "greatest showman" Raj Kapoor — but Rishi has been both fortunate and sensible. His latest foray into cinema demonstrates that: he plays his age, and does not pretend to be a college student, or a young stud. This has been the greatest problem with Indian heroes in the past — no matter how old they were, they had to be paired with heroines half their age and this, therefore, meant that they were (despite their balding pates or spreading waistlines) doomed to be college students forever. It is still a problem that the Khans are grappling with, right now. Therefore we have had Shah Rukh Khan (well into his 40s) still playing a 30-year-old in OSO, and of course, now recently Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal (LAK), attempting a 20-something commitment-phobe. Their efforts are simply not as "genuine" as is Rishi Kapoor’s portrayal of an ageing sardar in LAK or now as a 55-year-old filmstar in Chintuji.

Chintuji is in many ways a brave film. In other ways, it seems almost like an anachronism amongst today’s slick, urban and urbane cinema. It offers black and white values — and, perhaps, like another similar film released last year Welcome to Sajjanpur by Shyam Benegal, it can be viewed as a refreshing change. It has been a very long time since small town values have been pitted against the corruption of the city — a popular theme in the cinema of the 50s and 60s, and most successfully achieved in Shree 420.

But at that time the cinematic theme was representative of the actual migration which was taking place from the villages and small towns to the "shaher" for employment. In the fictional small town of Hadbehedi, however, where Chintuji is set, there is no "emigration", as none of the happy inhabitants, living in a utopian daze without electricity or mobile phones, ever want to leave. It is this relentless contentment of the denizens of Hadbehedi which is inexplicable — but it is an integral part of the film. Fifty-four years after Shree 420, are we to believe that the old problems are over and that the Raju of Shree 420 is now transformed into Chintu, and is ready to go home?

Chintuji does not deal with the problems of land or employment — but of the impact of modernity, and political cynicism in an idealistic manner. Just as Welcome to Sajjanpur focused not on the problems of an individual as do most films today (i.e. Ghajini, LAK, Kaminey) but of that of the community, Chintuji is a reflection of all that is good and evil in a representative social microcosm of Hadbahedi.

Because it is written and directed by Ranjit Kapoor and produced by Bobby Bedi, we expect Chintuji to be different, and there it does not disappoint. It is the story of an ageing filmstar (played by Rishi Kapoor) who goes back to the small town of Hadbahedi to relaunch himself as a politician. However Chintuji, as Rishi is called in the film, retains his bad old ways as a spoilt filmstar and it takes him a while to appreciate the simplicity and love which the people of Hadbahedi offer him. Several misdemeanours, misunderstandings and melodramatic moments later Chintuji is a reformed character.

Shot somewhat in the style of a theatrical production — with people speaking directly into the camera etc — the most successful part of the film is Rishi Kapoor himself who has generously given his name to the film, and not hesitated to play a caricature of many of his Bollywood buddies. The film becomes interesting because it bucks the trend, and because it is shot in a good natured, unpretentious fashion it offers some moments of real humour.

My favourite scene is a nonsensical film shoot in which a Mumbai film director comes down to Hadbahedi to complete a film with Chintuji. In the film within the film, Rishi plays a tribal chief who is adamant on boiling a Frenchman alive whilst a raunchy number is being danced to. It is the lyrics of the song in this sequence which I found truly brilliant: they comprise a list of names of famous directors and are a tongue-in-cheek reference to the great international maestros, as well as a "fun" tribute to them.

I really think that International Film Festival of India should adopt this as its opening number — with perhaps a few more references to Indian directors thrown in as well. The "lyrics" written by Ranjit Kapoor are:

Tarantino Wyler Capra

Ozu Bertolucci Peckinpa

Fellini Visconti Oshima

Coppola Coppola

Wyler Hitchcock Waida

Mizoguchi de Palma

Wyler Hitchcok Waida

Brian de Palma...

Chorus: Akira Kurosawa Vittorio Desica (4)

Bertolucci Bertolucci

Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh! Ohh!

That unquestionably was a brilliant touch! And Rishi looked like he enjoyed every minute of it!

n Kishwar Desai’s novel

Witness the Night, to be published in January 2010, is on the longlist for the Man Asian Literary Prize, 2009. She can be contacted at

kishwardesai@yahoo.com