Sep 15, 2012 05:09 PM
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I was spellbound when I saw Anurag Basu’s Gangster (2006). It was unlike any other love story I had witnessed in Hindi cinema before. The look, the feel, the anguish, the angst - all came out beautifully. Basu then came up with Life In A…Metro (2007) and Kites (2010). Both films had the Anurag Basu stamp all over but didn’t carry the magic and charm of Gangster. Thankfully, ‘Barfi!’ brings the best out of Anurag Basu! From the plot to the execution to performances, everything in the film is exemplary! Easily one of the finest films of 2012…and even Bollywood!
The story of the movie: 1972. Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) is deaf and mute. Yet, he’s happy-go-lucky and as haraami as any other guy in Darjeeling. Trouble arises when he falls for Shruti (Ileana DCruz). She too finds him irresistible. However, their love story has loads of problems. On the other hand, Barfi’s friendship with Jhimil (Priyanka Chopra) takes an unexpected turn. ‘Barfi!’ traces the journey of these characters at different phases of life.
‘Barfi!’ deals with differently-abled people. Many portions of the film don’t have dialogues. Yet, ‘Barfi!’ is like any other Hindi film. In fact, at times, viewers will forget that Barfi is disabled. Same goes, to an extent, for Jhilmil as well. Besides performances, the major strength of ‘Barfi!’ is the script and execution. Anurag Basu tells an honest and most importantly, ORIGINAL story. I doubt if this was lifted from a Hollywood or Korean or a film from any other cinema. The direction too is upto the mark. It does get confusing at places but at the same time, the narrative grips you. The film is almost 160 minutes long but not even once does the film bore or get into unnecessary territory. Also, the manner in which the film moves back and forth (reminds of Ranbir’s Rockstar actually), one doesn’t know what to expect next. There’s an element of mystery in the film and answers are unraveled slowly, till the very last scene! Hats off!
Ranbir Kapoor gave his career-best performance in Rockstar, for which he was rightfully honoured with awards and accolades. The actor pushes the boundaries with ‘Barfi!’. The ease with which he does all the crazy antics brings a smile. At the same time, his sensitive act in significant portions of the film moves the viewers. This was a difficult role to play as there isn’t a character like this before, at least in Bollywood. Hence, there was no concrete reference for him. Yet, the actor excelled and how! Hordes of awards await Ranbir…and who knows, maybe a National Award too!
Priyanka Chopra too has pushed the milestones and as expected, delivers a bravura performance! The actress makes the viewers forget all her previous performances and her sizzling avatar and gets totally into Jhilmil’s character. And as Ranbir had said, Priyanka is as cute as a ‘puppy’ in the film! ‘Barfi!’ will be remembered as one of Priyanka’s finest performances in her glorious career!
Ileana DCruz is missing in the middle portions of the film but nevertheless has a significant part to play. She looks charming and keeps a strong position of herself throughout. Saurabh Shukla (cop) is lovely in a supporting role. Haradhan Bandopadhyay (old man at ‘Muskaan’) leaves a mark in a short role. So does Rupa Ganguly (Shruti’s mom) and Jishu Sengupta (Ranjeet). Ashish Vidyarthi does great and it was good to see him after a long time! Sumona Chakravarty, Akash Khurana (Barfi’s dad), Bholaraj Sapkota (Barfi’s friend) and others do a good job.
Pritam’s music is melodious and the songs are beautifully woven into the script. ‘Ala Barfi’ takes the cake though, especially for the flashback scene! Kyon, Phir Le Aaya Dil and Aashiyaan are worth a dekko as well. Besides, there’s a bonus song ‘Picture Shuru’ that is amazingly innovative! Pritam’s background score plays a major role since many portions are sans dialogues. Ravi Varma’s cinematography captures the locales of Kolkata, Darjeeling and other places of Bengal beautifully. Sets are authentic. Akiv Ali’s editing is sharp and deserves praise, since the film constantly moves back and forth. Sanjeev Dutta’s dialogues are sharp.
Anurag Basu’s story and direction is outstanding! The characterizations are terrific, especially that of Barfi. The manner in which he’s always happy, even in the toughest of times and not to forget his disability, simply touches viewer’s hearts! Also, the wonderful bond shared by Barfi-Shruti and Barfi-Jhilmil is seen to be believed. Especially the latter one…it’s just amazing the way they lived, joked and had fun! Basu also puts Bengali elements into the narrative and the entire marriage part works nicely. As for the blemishes, the film does get confusing at places and the entire kidnapping drama could have been better. Yet, Basu wins hearts this time! A brilliant effort indeed!
Some of the best scenes:
Cops chase Barfi at Kolkata
Barfi meets Shruti
Barfi-Shruti go on a ride at night
Barfi meets Shruti’s parents (Brilliant!)
Barfi’s father collapses
Barfi robs bank
Barfi goes at Jhimil’s house at night (witty!)
Barfi at the police station
Jhimil at Barfi’s Darjeeling house
Barfi-Jhimil at Bengali hamlet
The songs Ala Barfi, Kyon, Aashiyan, Phir Le Aaya Dil
The last 30 minutes
On the whole, ‘Barfi!’ is an outstanding effort. It’s a story of specially-abled characters but it doesn’t seem so at all, thanks to performances, script and execution. The narrative does get complicated at places but is engrossing and keeps you hooked and curious till the last scene! Ranbir-Priyanka and even Ileana do a brilliant job and the same goes for writer-director Anurag Basu. At the box office, the film will attract hordes of moviegoers, inspite of the unconventional nature because ‘Barfi!’ has humour, romance, drama, conflict, poignancy and songs – all ingredients of a Bollywood entertainer! But putting aside commercial prospects, the film will be remembered for a long and if possible, should release in non-traditional markets of foreign countries…it surely has chances! Go for it…be happy, be BARFI!
