“Build your city in such a way
That I can get my food anywhere.”
In the eyes of a child, the world is still defined by its innocence. Even though reality may have found a way to leave its first marks on one's life, there seems to be an attitude in your early years without prejudice and fear. At least in the eyes of Indian director Safdar Rahman, this is the kind of quality he was looking for when he was casting his debut feature “Chippa” which will be screened at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 2019.
Shot in only 17 days, the story Rahman admits may not be unique, but offers an interesting view on the city of Kolkata. At the same time, the location offers the blend of realism and fantasy the story demands. Playing the central character of Chippa, we see actor Sunny Pawar who is known for his performance in Garth Davis' “Lion” (2016).
Chippa is screening at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
In the streets of Kolkata, Chippa (Panwar) lives with his aunt who runs a small food stall. Having lived most of his life not knowing his parents, he has come to accept the fact he will probably never meet either of them. On his tenth birthday, however, he receives a letter from his father written in Urdu, a language Chippa sadly does not speak. Since the arguments with his aunt have intensified over the last days, the young boy decides it is time to leave, to find someone who can help him understand the letter and possibly to find his father.
For those familiar with Pawar's touching performance in “Lion”, you will certainly find more proof of his talent in “Chippa”. As already indicated, his character is one that is not ignorant towards the sometimes grim reality surrounding him, but who has come to encounter this world with a mixture of bravado, curiosity and humor. The individual scenes give the young actor much room to playfully explore the environment of his character, making him somewhat a mixture of Huckleberry Finn and Satyajit Ray's famous Apu.
On his journey, Chippa meets a whole range of various other, mostly adult characters. Given his attitude, each one of them eventually reveals a rich back-story, most of them linked to a person's dreams, goals in life or just a general way to get by in life. As a matter of fact, “Chippa” feels more like a multi-faceted carpet of various stories and dreams, all of them with their own charm for the viewer. Especially his first encounter with a cab driver and later on a bickering band having their dinner, have to be among the highlights within Rahman's film.
In the end, “Chippa” is a touching, humourous and creative film about dreams and finding yourself. With its great use of its setting, its performances as well as the great script written by Rahman, “Chippa” offers great entertainment for everyone and will surely please any audience who has not yet given up on its dreams. Because in Chippa's words “life has just started” and the road ahead is still full of adventures, surprises and chance encounters.
Sources:
Ganapathy Raman, Sruthi (2018) After ‘Lion', Sunny Pawaris back on the streets in Kolkata in ‘Chippa'
https://scroll.in/reel/900253/after-lion-sunny-pawar-is-back-on-the-streets-of-kolkata-in-chippa, last accessed on: 03/24/2019
