The expectations from a movie like ‘Barfi!’ are mixed for many reasons. Firstly, it’s a film about imperfections and disabilities, and we’ve seen loads of them. This in turn divides the audience. The more knowledgeable will know that the background score of the theatrical trailer is a direct rip-off of the popular 2001 French romantic comedy Le Fabuleux Destin D’Amelie Poulain’s track La Noyee. This generates a certain curiosity to whether the film would remain original or not. The music and the television promotional material have had a huge impact on the potential audience, thanks to Disney-UTV’s firm belief in the film. Additionally, the movie’s promos don’t give you an overdose of schmuck one would otherwise get from a drama featuring characters with special needs.Set in the 70s, flitting between Darjeeling and Kolkata, Barfi! speaks about love, and how three people crave for the only thing they can’t seem to get anywhere: attention and acceptance. The road to redemption and the trials and tribulations they face form the crux of this film. I’ve specifically written the synopsis as such, because writing any more would give important details of the film away.
Anurag Basu’s films have one thing very clear: they’re either really good, or really bad. When he started his career with Kucch Toh Hai, Saaya and Murder, one never knew he would make better movies, until Gangster was made. One then finally knew of Basu’s true potential at storytelling and executing dramatic impact in his films. In Barfi! too, the director lays out a wide canvas to make you fall in love, break your heart and fall in love again. Basu’s story and narrative structure lays out enough to make you laugh, cry, and ponder. The good thing about this is that though an emotion lingers on, the narrative shifts to another consecutive emotion quickly. This in turn allows us to experience a variety of emotions in the two-and-a-half hour runtime. The narrative is non-linear, flitting between three timelines of the lives of the three protagonists. Some of the audience might find the narrative convoluted, but as the movie reaches its end, we know why was this form was opted for in the first place. The movie is flawed, and also decides to take the liberty of remaking two scenes from The Notebook, and one characteristic of the Barfi-Jhilmil relationship is inspired by Le Fabuleux Destin D’Amelie Poulain. In fact, protagonists Amelie from the French cult, and Barfi from this film seem to share similar feel-good characteristics, but that’s just a minor thing. Shifting the film to a whodunit was also slightly unwarranted, but then again, another minor hiccup!
The film, otherwise has a very powerful emotional connect with the viewer. It’s less a film about disabilities; and more about imperfections and how to live with them. With the aspect of disabilities, and the way the characters live across Kolkata and Darjeeling, a lot of cinematic liberties have been taken to make reality look unrealistically beautiful. While this aspect will generate some disbelief among viewers, the reason Basu wanted reality to look like a surreal painting seems evident. This is supported hugely by Ravi Verman’s magical cinematography. Each frame is well composited and looks complete. The camerawork is brilliantly consistent and supports the cinematographer’s vision well. Editing is another key aspect of the film. While many people choose to take the safe route of using colored tints to shift between timelines, this film doesn’t use that. The non-linear narrative is used to great effect, and the consistent, gimmick-free edit supports the movie’s look and feel. Also, brownie points to the colour grading, for each and every scene is rich in colour, reflecting on the moods and feelings of the protagonists very well.
Pritam’s music and background score have a huge impact over the whole film. In fact, the background score in many places enhances the emotional intensity present in scenes that are either heartbreaking or inherently happy. Songs like ‘Phir Le Aaya Dil’, ‘Kyon’ and ‘Aashiyan’ make even more sense when seen through the film.
Above all, the performances stand out; each and every one of them. Ranbir Kapoor perfects his deaf, dumb act to new heights. Time and again, the viewers have seen Kapoor growing as an actor, and ‘Barfi!’ seems to be no less an act of the highest standard. Watch out for his silent, angry monologue after he heartbreakingly realizes his lover and he weren’t made to be. And though there’s nothing that Kapoor speaks through the film, his is an act so convincing we know what he says and feels throughout the film! If there’s anyone who steals Kapoor’s thunder, it is Priyanka Chopra. From ‘Fashion’, to ‘What’s Your Raashee’ and ‘7 Khoon Maaf’, she’s come a long way, playing flawed human emotions away with undeniable ease. Here too, she reflects upon autism well, disappearing into the skin of her character like never before. Stripped off all her glamour that reflects her superstar imagery, she enacts the role of Jhilmil with an intensity a lot of people will be bowled over. Ileana D’Cruz’s Hindi film debut is not just convincing, but also award-worthy. Saurabh Shukla and Aakash Khurana are endearing. Ashish Vidhyarthi is efficient. Rupa Ganguly supports well, and Haradhan Bandopadhay gets his few scenes done commendably.
Obviously what doesn’t work, apart from the slow pacing and the generously borrowed couple of scenes, is the special effects make-up. Apart from the fact that everyone who grows old looks weirdly similar, Ileana’s aged self still has perfect hands. This should obviously have been more focused on for a film that‘s very particular about people and events.
The truth? Barfi! is just a few steps short of being a classic in its own right. If not for the generous liberties, make-up and lift-offs, the movie would have been even more than it is now. Reality? It’s the emotional intensity that catches us unawares, and Basu’s story and execution stays as close to human emotion as realism. The truth? The movie is flawed. Reality? The characters are flawed, just like us. The truth? The movie is not the greatest to have released. Reality? The truth doesn’t matter, because the movie experience in itself makes it personally gratifying for the viewer. Romance dramas are not hard to pass by in Hindi cinema, but it’s those rare ones like ‘Dev.D’, ‘Rockstar’, and now ‘Barfi’! that delve deep into the psyche of the human mind and soul!
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