Barfi!

Plot synopsis:
Murphy "Barfi" Johnson (Ranbir Kapoor) is an optimistic, street-wise, charming young man who was born deaf-mute to a Nepali couple in Darjeeling. His mother died when he was a baby and his father raised him alone, while working as a chauffeur. Barfi is known as a troublemaker – he cuts lampposts, plays practical jokes on innocent people, and is chased by Sudhanshu Dutta (Saurabh Shukla), a local police officer. Barfi meets Shruti Ghosh (Ileana D'Cruz), who has just arrived in Darjeeling; she is engaged to Ranjit Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta), and is due to get married in three months, and Barfi is immediately smitten with Shruti. She also falls in love with Barfi but her mother dissuades her from pursuing him because he could not take care of her with his disabilities and lack of money. Shruti takes her mother's advice, gets married, and moves to Kolkata, breaking all contact with Barfi.
Meanwhile, Barfi's father falls ill and Barfi must somehow raise the money for his treatment. After an unsuccessful attempt to rob a local bank, he tries to kidnap Jhilmil Chatterjee (Priyanka Chopra) – Barfi's autistic childhood friend and wealthy heiress of her grandfather's fortune – for a ransom. Upon arriving, Barfi finds she has already been kidnapped. He sees her in a van, sneaks inside and drives Jhilmil away from the ransom delivery. He hides her in his apartment with the police in pursuit. Barfi collects the ransom but finds that his father has died just as he makes the payment. Dejected, Barfi tries to leave Jhilmil at the village of her caretaker, but she refuses to leave him and they soon move to Kolkata, where Barfi assumes responsibility for Jhilmil and takes care of her.
Six years later, Barfi and Shruti meet by chance. Shruti is unhappy with her marriage and she and Barfi rekindle their friendship, much to the chagrin of the lovestruck Jhilmil, who then goes missing. Shruti files a missing person report for Jhilmil. The Darjeeling police learn about the report, resume their pursuit of Barfi and arrest him. As he is being interrogated, another ransom demand for Jhilmil is made and she is apparently killed in the process of the exchange, though her body is never found. In order to conclude the case, the police try to frame Barfi for Jhilmil's murder. Policeman Sudhanshu Dutta, who grew fond of Barfi after investigating him for his nuisances, asks Shruti to take him away, offering him a second chance at life. She agrees and hopes that now Jhilmil is gone, she can finally be with Barfi.
Barfi is deeply affected by Jhilmil's loss and finds living with Shruti unfulfilling. He finds the location of Jhilmil's childhood home and takes Shruti to look for her. They find that Jhilmil is still alive, and that both kidnappings were fabricated by her father so he could embezzle money from Jhilmil's trust fund. In the second attempt, second time, they faked her death so that she could return to her special-care home, away from her alcoholic mother. Barfi has a happy reunion with Jhilmil and the two are married, while Shruti spends the rest of her days alone, regretting the loss of her chance to be with Barfi.
Several years later, Barfi is shown to be gravely ill in a hospital and is close to death. Jhilmil arrives and lies with Barfi in his hospital bed as Shruti narrates that the two died peacefully together, not wanting to leave each other behind in life or death. The film closes showing the happy days of Barfi and Jhilmil as credits roll.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Every character is well placed without being dramatic with excellent music, performances, direction and screenplay.Anurag Basu- the director has done extraordinary work in terms of narrating the story.
Each and every prank on screen gives you a bucketful humor and feel good factor whether it's Barfi-cop chase or Barfi's effort to impress Jhilmil and Shruti throughout the movie.Ranbir Kapoor- Well this guy has redefined himself, and the only commercial cinema star of recent time who knows how to act dances and laugh with perfection.
might as well have been an acronym for: Breathtaking (cinematography), Astounding (acting), Ruthless (breaking of stereotypes about the disabled), Fantastic (music), and Invigorating (feeling in your heart as you leave the theater).This is essentially a love triangle between Barfi (played endearingly by Ranbir Kapoor), a hearing and speech impaired son of a poor chauffeur, Jhilmil (played brilliantly by Priyanka Chopra), an autistic girl almost abandoned by her rich parents, and Shruti the narrator of the tale of love (played convincingly by debutante Illeana De Cruz), the soon to be married tourist visiting Darjeeling along with her parents.The writer and director - Anurag Basu uses non linear storytelling to traverse between 1972, 1978, and 2012 Darjeeling, Calcutta, and little known places of Bengal as they three protagonists try and grapple with Love and its various heart rendering implications to their lives.
For a film with hardly any dialogs, 'Barfi!' amazingly manages to say a lot, using a combination of sign language, facial expressions, first person narration, and sometimes simply stunning silences to convey a gamut of emotions.Several sequences stand out for their sheer brilliance, be it Barfi's reaction at Shruti's choice of her fiancé (Jishu Sengupta in a small but significant role), Shruti and her mother's (played beautifully by the veteran Roopa Ganguly) exchanges on certain choices in Love, Barfi and Jhilmil's night in the forest illuminated by fireflies, Barfi's cutting off of the lamp posts to test the loyalty of his friends, Jhilmil's fantasy about getting married as she watches a 'Chau Dance' in a village, Daju's (Haradhan in a superb supporting role) tear stricken face as he finally accepts Jhilmil's fate and let's her go, the unfolding of the photograph's at Shruti's house to finally reveal the truth about her entire life, and lastly, the finale.
For example, certain dialogs between Shruti and her mother might remind you of the Notebook, certain mannerisms of Barfi as he tries his best to escape the bungling cop (played aptly by Saurabh Shukla) cause you to recollect sequences from the films of Charlie Chaplin, while the way Barfi tries to entertain Jhilmil & Shruti remind you of Singing in The Rain and Mr Bean.
And it does so, at numerous places managing to make you think, smile, cry, and sigh, sometimes all at the same time, and in quick succession.Watch it for the performances (especially that of Ranbir and Priyanka), the vision of the director Anurag Basu and cinematographer Ravi Varman, the terrific score of the music director Pritam Chakravarty, and last but not the least for the innumerable ways in which Love has been expressed between the characters.
Most of the gags were new.Seriously I didn't expected the story to be so twisted in the middle but again credit to Mr Basu, the way he streamlined at the end.Fantastic.People this is definitely one of the bestest movie released in bollywood.
It has acting that connects you straight with the characters and makes you feel for/with them; each frame is a lyrical composition not only by the presence of colors but through their absence as well, the screenplay is such that it either allows the emotions to be overwhelming or would take you out of the scene (completely depends on the viewer).I can only wish to visit the Darjeeling of 70's as portrayed in the movie and I am sure Basu would not have had any problems filming the Kolkata part of the movie as it is the only city which has majority of its elements from that period still intact (No pun intended).
This was RK's best performance till date..Priyanka Chopra portrayed her part brilliantly but it was pleasantly shocking to see a south girl doing so good..Ileana was the soothing factor amidst the madness of Barfi n Jhilmil!Good to see Saurabh Shukla back..
Thanks to multiple rave reviews in this space, elsewhere I finally caught up with "Barfi" today.Straight off, the film is an hour too long (yes that's right 60 minutes extra in the era of Attention deficiencies), way too convoluted and seems like a by product of a scatter brain Director/Story writer.
Neither is Ranbir Kapoor, Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump") or even Sanjeev Kumar (Koshish).Anurag Basu has cast some acclaimed actors such as Akash Khurana, Ashish Vidyarthi and Roopa Ganguly in supporting roles but their roles are so minuscule and uni- dimensional that they fail to add any heft to the finished product.I am going with 1.5 stars out of 5 for Barfi.
keyboard..yes I am telling about control+c and v of course...formally known as copy and paste...Barfi followed the same formula..copying from everywhere..The notebook,charlie chaplin,jackie chan and what not...If you think any one of the barfi scenes to be original..believe me..you then,just have not explored it's original source then..and when you find one original frame,yes you are right it is the most unfit,melodramatic and bellow par scene ...Good tunes you say..I say search internet...they also have their original ones..uncredited by the barfi makers...Acting is average..obviously if you have seen chaplin himself..ranbir kapoor is just a low quality mimic artist to you trying to copy everything..and remaining nothing of his own...rest are not mention worthy..don't go with the academy nomination..only if you have enough spare time..and if you are a blind bollywood or ranbir fan..watch the movie ...it's definitely not boring...enjoying but annoying if you are a Hollywood fan and hate copy-paste...
some of the "creative" scenes in the movie are 100% copy from Charlie Chaplin movies.few good points of the movie are the character of "Shruti" played beautifully by Ileana in 3 different life stages and some creativity including the way Barfi used to throw his shoes for Jhilmil and shadow play on the wall by Jhilmil and Barfi.If you are planning to watch "Barfi" and expecting an extraordinary excellent direction, story, comedy and drama like "Munna Bhai MBBS" you will be disappointed.
True to his reputation he has made Barfi with scenes copied from multiple non-Indian movies like Singing in the Rain, Cops, The Notebook, The Adventurer and City Lights.
However I did enjoy the title track and the ghazal on the screen as it made a better impact together in the script.Taking up the most talked about feature of this movie i.e. its performances; I strongly feel that it is a wrongly publicized project giving all the emphasis to only its one lead character, taking the limelight away from all the other deserved candidates in the film.
However personally I found Anurag at his best only when Ranbir, Priyanka and Illeana get together in the film till its final sequence, which actually is the most impactful part of the movie as I felt.To conclude, BARFI is indisputably one of those few films which do have some exceptional, career best performances given under a fine direction.
So why does 'Anurag Basu comes up with a movie like 'BARFI' where his lead actor or actress does not get to have any dialogues or lines to speak where they can get those hooting and the whistles from the public (like the usual 'one liners' which are religiously followed in Bollywood).
BARFI is the story of a deaf and mute boy played by Ranbir Kapoor, through which Anurag Basu tries to gives us a message that, we all are surrounded with happinness all around us, it's just that we are strangled up so much in our daily life of artificial complexities that we don't recognize the little any tiny things that are capable of giving us immense happinness, peace and comfort.
She easily manages to hold the audiences at their perfect nerve.BARFI is mostly a 'Silent film, where almost the entire movie is in narrative, but, this really does not even slightly affects it in any bad way and therefore hats off to Anurag, Ranbir, Priyanka and Pritam (Music Director) for that.
Just after watching ek tha tiger when people thought love stories (or in fact stories) are dead in bollywood, comes Barfi, a true masterpiece.Story (9/10)- It is a sweet simple story, represented in a beautiful way.
Other than Anjaana Anjaani which also co-starred Priyanka Chopra, his scheming politician in Raajneeti, his bearded salesman in Rocket Singh, and of course, his Rockstar turn, have all been powerhouses, and goes to show he's tops amongst his peers in the industry in constantly reinventing himself and breathing life to the characters he plays.In Barfi!, he challenges himself with the role of a deaf mute, as the titular character whom his parents named after the Murphy Radio set, but for his condition, he only managed something like the title when asked of his name.
But Ileana is not flower vase here, and as if challenged by the other two leads, also had to up the ante in her delivery, making it quite a memorable debut Anurag Basu's story took on more complex proportions to tell a simple tale of romance, and the narrative at points also became like a docu-drama, where key characters in Barfi's life gets interviewed, and forms the narrative when it flashes back to key incidents, told in non- linear style.
What A Relief to know that people like Anurag Basu, Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra still exist, and i can be proud of Bollywood.
i can go on and on writing about it.THE RANBIR "KAPOOR"......what a magnificent actor he is.......I've started thinking if there's any thing he cant do???......the most versatile actor......the bollywood has so much to learn from him.......HE & Only HE......is THE FUTURE OF Indian FILM INDUSTRY.PRIYANKA CHOPRA.....my all time favourite......she fits so perfectly in every role.....and she has proved it yet again.....marvelous acting.ANURAG BASU......amazing direction, and choice of location, and attention to minute details.....PRITAM.......what a melodious background score, and the heart absorbing songs......like a magical spell.....a very very important part of the movie.
Though for each MOVIE lover its pure good cinema!A Barfi which will definitely give you sweet-mushy feeling and will melt with full aroma as soon as (IF) it enters your heart!Ranbir Kapoor just rises few more steps up, WOW, what a amazing body of work he has in a very short time.
The performances of Ranbir, Priyanka and Ileana are worth mentioning..Ranbir is going to a different level with each of his movie and the diversity that he is bringing up with every role is just adding on to his immense talent..Even Saurabh Shukla has given a performance that would not be forgotten and will always be remembered whenever Barfi's name comes up..Its a must watch and one the best movies of this year..
However, if you choose to look beyond those few scenes, Barfi has a real, heart-warming story to tell and Basu was quite capable of portraying it with the talents of Ranbir Kapoor and surprisingly, Priyanka Chopra.
Already enough has been said and written about the classic roles essayed by versatile Ranbir, gutsy Priyanka and beautiful Ileana (I loved her Bong Bahu look!), and of course the vision of craft master Anurag Basu (Yes, the same guy who made Kites), but I can't help writing even more.
I felt that the only part in the movie which kept me interested was the cinematography...and nothing else...barfi is just another movie claiming to be"entirely original" but is nothing more than a straight lift collage..RK tried his best but went in vain...and for chopra...she seriously needs to join somw good acting classes and learn to behave rather than "putting up an act"....barfi is filled with shameless plagiarism...and don't know what the so called "NATIONAL JURY" was thinking when they selected this crap for Oscar nomination.....i watched this in 3 days......couldn't sit through the whole movie for it was so long and slow with a pathetic script and dumbest of direction...anurag basu should try to be inspired by the western flicks rather than just copying the scenes as it is....and that too in the name of paying homage ...this is just not right...and barfi strictly doesn't deserve any of the acclaim that it is getting......4/10....3 fr cinematography and 1 fr RK because fr except him no one cud do this role.....
Two thumbs-up for that!!Storyline was however a weakling over here with unnecessary addition of "murder mystery" plot to it which is not as interesting as meant to be.(-1 there)Nonetheless Do watch this movie which will touch your heart and will make you fall in love with life and change your perspective about it!!!Ranbir and Ileana excellent but barfi is priyanka's film all the way!!.
Story: Three young people,Murphy (Ranbir Kapoor),Jhilmil Chatterjee (Priyanka Chopra) and Shruti Ghosh (Ileana D Cruz) learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms of normal and abnormal.The direction is powerful The writing is water-tight.The music is good.The cinematography is amazing.The editing could have been a bit more razor-sharp.Performances: Barfi belongs to Ranbir Kapoor.No doubt on that!The actor simply amazes you with his act.He deserves this year's Best Actor Award!Priyanka Chopra,is another actor to watch out.As Jhilmil,she displays an act that will be etched in your memory even after the movie has concluded.
She has given her best performance so far.Ileana D'cruz looks lovely and plays her part perfectly.Saurabh Shukla and Ashish Vidyarthi have done a good job.The direction is superb, Anurag Basu takes Barfi at another level.The songs are meaningful and are set in right places.The movie could've been edited a bit but I loved the way it was.I'll rate it 9/10 one extra star for Ranbir.
is a beautiful film and will take viewers on a certain roller-coaster of emotion: it's a story of true love, yet with bittersweet heartrending moments, interspersed with almost ridiculously simple gags that nevertheless don't ever quite feel too out of place, so plenty of genuine laugh-out-loud moments.The three lead actors are fantastic, Ranbir Kapoor in the title role, playing a deaf- mute, gets you right onside from the start, and the beautiful Ileana D'Cruz proves she is more than just eye candy, as she authentically expresses every emotion perfectly.
Priyanka Chopra has you truly believe in her autistic character Jhilmil, yet plays her so well that despite her spoken dialog being little more than Barfi's, the viewer is never in doubt as to what she's thinking.The film is wonderfully directed too; the viewer feels the mood, and gets the sense of scene without intruding.
Ranbir Kapoor (who plays a deaf & mute character) proves again, he is the best "new" actor by miles, and Priyanka Chopra is very believable as an autistic girl.
Ranbir Kapoor sealed the fact that he is in competition with only himself.His choice of film shows his thirst for excellence.He brings Barfi to life with his infectious smile and expressive eyes.He has the charm and innocence which he uses to his favour.Ileana makes a promising debut with her portrayal of Shruti.With saree clad she looked the perfect Bengali housewife,the epitome of love and purity.With her expressive eyes she nosedives into heart of audience.Her strive against impression and gestures with her mother shows typical human insecurity to chose between love and social security.Towards the climax one could feel the vacuum in her heart.Priyanka Chopra has showed her capabilities with 7 Khoon Maaf and goes one step ahead with Jhilmil Chatterjee,the sweet autistic girl who is unwanted in her family and is raised at Muskan–a home for child with disabilities.While SRK was stiff in My Name is Khan here we see a performance that brings out the nuances of the disability more naturally.Though at few scenes she kind of reacted as if she is a retard but the next moment her following dialogue complimented her action thus looking satisfactory.Saurabh Shukla is one of the greatest albeit under-used actors and as Inspector Dutta he shows several emotions running over different time span.His Chaplin-esque sequences with Barfi bring in pure laughter which is sadly missing nowadays.Akash khurana as Barfi's father is effective.Roopa Ganguly is sophisticatedly restrained as Shruti's mother and the mother-daughter relationship is too real.Haradhan Banerjee as Dadu is brilliant.He is one of the finest actors of Indian cinema who was discovered by legendary Ray.Recently he has been insufficiently used by Bengali film industry.Ashish Vidyarthi is fine as always.The person who played Jang Bahadur is good.Jishu Sengupta in a small role fits in.The whole off-beat casting went in favour of the film.
So, full credit goes to writer-director Anurag Basu for developing this sweet and humorous flick.Ranbir Kapoor plays the titular character who is deaf and mute, but gets along with people and shines in every scene with his Chaplin-like antics and honesty.Set in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Darjeeling, famous for its tea industry and Himalayan Railway, the movie shows how Barfi meets Shruti (dazzling newcomer Ileana D'cruz), who initially is resistant to his charms and his wary of his handicap, but his persistence and charm wear her down and they eventually hit it off.However, Shruti's mother isn't too keen on her going out with a handicapped person, so she takes her to watch a woodcutter from a distance.
The bitter-sweet relationships of these three beautiful young characters, Murphi aka Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor), Shruti (Ileana D'cruz) and Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra) will not bore you out.
First hats off to Anurag Basu, Ranbir and Priyanka Mind blowing performance by them the new debut actress Ileana D'Cruz also did a great job Ranbir who played a Deaf-mute person said many things with just his acting !!!
With "Priyanka Chopra's" act was really appreciated.More I loved the film to watch, really it's story is different from other romantic movies.I am a real fan of "Anurag Basu" movies...