Chingaari (2006)

A young man arrives to Rangpur to become a postmaster apprentice, but soon finds himself deeply involved in the lives of the village's prositutes.

Director:

Kalpana Lajmi (as Kalpana Lazmi)

Writers:

Bhupen Hazarika (story), Kalpana Lajmi (dialogue) (as Kalpana Lazmi)

Stars:

Sushmita Sen, Mithun Chakraborty, Anuj Sawhney

Cast

Credited cast:
Sushmita Sen	...	Basanti
Mithun Chakraborty	...	Bhuvan Panda
Anuj Sawhney	...	Chandan Mishra
Ila Arun	...	Padmavati
Anjan Srivastav	...	Narainda
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Suresh Abhas	...	Raju
Ravi Gossain	...	Chintu
Preeti Joshi	...	Bijli
Swini Khara	...	Titli
Jhumma Mitra	...	Rupali
Anita Neha	...	Chameli
Preeti Prakash	...	Phulwa
Shankar Sachdev	...	Mukhiya (as Shankar Sachdeva)
Ashika Sagar	...	Gulabo
Lakhwinder Singh	...	Subodh

Storyline

In the village of Rangpur, District of Badlapur, India, lives Narainda, who has been the Postmaster for the last over 35 years. He has patiently awaited the arrival of an assistant so that he can consider retiring. His assistant does arrive in the shape and form of Chandan Mishra. Narainda teaches him to deliver mail, take a rupee for reading mail out aloud; and avoid much contact with the prostitutes of Lal Batti. But the women of Lal Batti, Phulwa, Gulabo, Bijli, Basanti, Padmavati, and young Titli, the daughter of Basanti, are drawn to Chandan, and he becomes a frequent visitor there. The local High Priest Bhuvan Panda, who also visits Basanti late at night to satisfy his sexual lust, does not appreciate Chandan's frequent visits, especially after he finds out that Chandan is educated and very outspoken. Then a mysterious admirer of Basanti starts sending her love letters and even proposes marriage. When Bhuvan finds out, he forbids anyone from going to Lal Batti, as in his mind ...

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | 

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Taglines:

Spark of revolution...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was initially called "A Prostitute And A Postman".

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Connections

Referenced in Dulha Mil Gaya (2010)

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Soundtracks

Kitni Sardi Kitni Garmi
Performed by Aadesh Shrivastava

User Reviews

Chingari - Woman Power!

'Chingari' could rightly have been called 'Sushmita Power' for she's the mainstay of the film. If fun time is what you're looking for in a cinema hall, then stay away from this film! And for all you die-hard Sushmita Sen fans, here's a different flavor of this woman to relish and cherish.

You are sure to take home a slice of Basanti (Sushmita Sen) after watching 'Chingari'. The film is a close look at the goings on in a remote village in Northern India. So head for this film if you're in the mood for realism. But the film has a major drawback; its length. It could have been trimmed by at least half an hour and made crisp. Then it would have made a stronger impact! 'Chingari' has many layers to it. It's the love story of a prostitute and a postman. There are other issues too that are still prevalent in these remote areas in the North; illiteracy, sexual exploitation of the poor, and fake Godmen.

There are some brilliantly executed scenes. Besides the performers, credit is due to Kalpana Lajmi, the director. Watch out for the scene in which Basanti goes to the post office a day before her marriage to confess her love to Chandan (Anuj Sawhney) and explain to him the reason for her agreeing to marry someone else is heart wrenching as well as performed from the heart. It shows the strong willed prostitute's transition into a woman.

One could also never associate this sort of vulnerability with the normally strong and confident Sushmita Sen! It puts her in the same league as some of our great actresses. Another brilliantly performed scene is one in which Basanti takes on Bhuvan Panda in her house. And the climax in which she kills him is just superb. She looks possessed by the Goddess. It's almost like Sushmita had recently said, "It's not me, it's the Goddess herself!' Mithun looks like he's truly made a comeback. This sensitive actor had somewhere got lost in all those flashy clothes and disco numbers in his yesteryear's. 'Chingari' brings out the actor in him although he does go over the top in some scenes. Ila Arun fits the bill. Anuj Sawhney looks convincing. The kid who plays Basanti's daughter is cute. A couple of the songs are good. The background score is brilliant. There is a liberal usage of foul language, which goes with the genre of the film.

But the box office prospects of the film cannot be predicted. It has limited appeal. But a movie to be watched for the performances, particularly Sushmita's!

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi Assamese

Release Date:

17 February 2006 (India)

Also Known As:

Chingari

Filming Locations:

Satara, Maharashtra, India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perfect Magic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Color:

Color