Chintaa Mani Review: An out-of-the-box concept packaged in a believable story

Remember those nostalgic tales full of magic and horror that took us to a world much different from ours? Such is the feel of Chintaa Mani, a new film streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The latest production of Saints Art and Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai created quite a buzz before its release with an intriguing brief trailer. Now, the jury is out on whether it met or bombed the expectations.

First, the makers of Chaipatti, an edge-of-the-seat horror comedy, and Detective Boomrah, which brought back the charm of detective thrillers on the Indian screen, have yet again come up with an unusual concept, plot and storyline. A subtle blend of different genres and sub-genres, such as thriller, horror, supernatural and humor,

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Chintaa Mani definitely stands out of the run-of-the-mill films and shows, which are in abundance across OTTs. Despite being a complex mix of the aforementioned forms of cinema, it doesn’t appear cluttered at any point in time. Rather, the transformation of the experiences of the different characters on screen lets you very gradually sync in into a surreal escapade.
 
Puneet Sharma, who has made his directorial debut with Chintaa Mani, has meticulously portrayed a story, which might have otherwise appeared hard to believe, with utmost simplicity and ease. With almost no pomp that normally comes with horrors, he has handled the most fateful transitional scene extremely efficiently.

Storyteller-filmmaker Sudhanshu Rai, who has written and played the lead protagonist, Chiku, in the film, has stayed true to the character and becomes relatable as a youthful individual to meets the scariest fate of his life. Another actor, Shobhit Sujay, who had earlier been seen as Kahanikaar in Chaipatti and Amtim in Detective Boomrah, has portrayed well the character of a mysterious vagabond.

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Even as the film is captivating and comes as a breeze of fresh air on OTT, the screenplay has some scope of getting crispier. On the whole, Chintaa Mani is worth a watch, as not often we see these kinds of cinema on the Indian screen.

• Chintaa Mani
• Shobhit Sujay
• Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai