When Chippa is handed a letter addressed to him from his father, whom he doesn’t remember, the boy decides to find out more about it all. Unfortunately, as the letter is written in Urdu, he needs someone to read it to him. A fight with his grand aunt (with whom he lives) seals his initial intention to leave it all behind. At the stroke of midnight on his 10th birthday, Chippa grabs a bag full of knick‑knacks and heads out to discover the city streets and its nightlife, while trying to figure out connections to his father. Chippa is a coming‑of‑age tale told over the course of a single winter night in Kolkata. While the story at its core is gritty, the film is seen through Chippa’s eyes, full of magic, wonder and enchanting conversations.
SAFDAR RAHMAN is a filmmaker based in Kolkata and Mumbai. After directing a few plays during his studies, Safdar worked as a teacher in East Delhi, handling a class of 40 kids over two years. As a result, he founded a non-profit organization called Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, which works in the spheres of education and the arts. In 2014, he started working with maverick film company Oddjoint, where he wore many hats over the years. Venturing out on his own more recently, he has partnered with his wife Celine to found production company Travelling Light. Chippa is his first feature film as a director.