Dont Worry, Be Barfi

Beautiful would be an understatement. Let me put it this way, There are good movies. There are bad movies. And then, there is Barfi. Very few movies make this category, Barfi being the latest one.

The Story is pretty uncomplicated, with 3 main protagonists. Ranbir Kapoor as Barfi (Murphy), who is deaf and dumb , Priyanka Chopra as Jhilmil, who is autistic, and the delightfully pretty Illena d’Cruz as Shruti. Barfi falls for Shruti , who is already engaged, but can who escape Barfi's charm for long? So, they start seeing each other, they kiss. But, as fate would have it, Shruti’s mom is against their relationship, only because of Barfi’s handicap. Enter Jhilmil, a childhood friend of Barfi. Jhilmil would have spent her adolescence in a special children’s home. Her father takes her back home. A kidnapping saga ensues, and due to an unfortunate (or fortunate) run of events, Jhilmil ends up tagging with Barfi.

They make their way to Kolkata. Fate would strike again and Barfi sees Shruti. Jhilmil who would have developed a liking for Barfi (which becomes mutual over the course of time), grows insecure with Shruti, and one fine day manages to find her way back to the same Children’s home. Barfi somehow traces her and they live happily ever after.

A run of the mill story is given a spark by fabulous performances from the lead actors as well as the supporting characters. Ranbir has given yet another sparkling performance; he is surely cementing his place as one of the finest actors Bollywood has produced. A special mention goes out to the scene in which he vents out his frustrations towards Illeana. He actually leaves you “dumbstruck”. Priyanka after a rather drab “Teri Meri Kahani” shows us what she is capable of. The brilliance with which she potrays the innocence of Jhilmil’s character is worth a mention.  Illeana in her bollywood debut does a flawless job. Easily the best debut by an established south Indian actress in Hindi cinema off late. Saurabh Shukla, as the police inspector constantly in pursuit of Barfi, does an effortless job as always.

The Cinematography and the music too deserve a mention here. The already beautiful locales of Darjeeling are given a facelift by Ravi Varman. Pritam too does a wonderful job with the music as well as the background score. Majority of the movie set in the 70s, Pritam has given the music a very 70s feel and done a pretty good job of it. Ala Barfi a playful number sung by the effervescent Mohit Chauhan sets the tone for the movie.  Aashiyan and Kyon are tracks which will bring a smile to your face. Nikhil Paul George lends his vocals to Mai Kya Karoon , a playful love song, which is sure to be in your iPod playlist for a long time.  And then there is Phir le aaya dil, a soulful number, which rounds up a highly satisfying album.

All put together, Barfi is definitely worth a dekho and more.

Dont worry, be Barfi.