Barfi! (2012 movie)

Directed by: Anurag Basu
Released: 2012
Country: India

Genres: Romantic, Comedy, Drama

Main cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Priyanka Chopra, Rupa Ganguly, Saurabh Shukla

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

There are many films which make you smile. There are many films which makes you laugh. There are many films which brings tears to your eyes. And there are also films which make you smile and cry at the same time.

''Barfi!'' is an example of such a film: a film which brings smile and tears at the same time. And it is a beautiful poetic tale. It is a tale about love, sorrows, sacrifice, humor... It is a beautiful, a poetic tale that deals with not only love, but also sacrifice, happiness...

It is pleasant to see a character like Barfi. Barfi's parents had named him Murphy, but everybody calls him ''Barfi''. Barfi is a person who likes to find happiness in every little things, who's a prankster, and whose pranks sometimes lead to trouble. Nevertheless, people around himself like him.

The film opens as we see Barfi, now an old man, terribly ill. Shruti (Ileana D'Cruz) narrates the movie and tells us everything about Barfi. There are clever uses of flashbacks in this movie. Well, almost the whole movie is told in flashbacks. The narration and presentation of this film are clever. There are even uses of flashbacks within flashbacks. This made me a bit confused, but however, this narration is one of the things which make the movie artistic.

The film tells the story of the lives of Barfi, Shruti, and Jhilmil in 1972, 1978 and the present time.

As the flashbacks start, we see Barfi, a cheerful deaf and mute young man, charming, but prankster. The film shows with his falling in love with two different women: Shruti, and the autistic Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra). In the film we see cheerfulness, sorrows, and sweetness.

The silent film genre has influence over this film. Ranbir Kapoor, playing a deaf and mute boy, doesn't have any dialogues. Often, he expresses his reaction by using gestures, and sign language. Furthermore, in several scenes, dialogue is minimal. Priyanka Chopra plays an autistic girl, Jhilmil. The character is highly remarkable. She does have a few dialogues, but however, her dialogues are minimal.

The actors who play the three protagonists are strong and excellent in the roles. Ranbir Kapoor's performance as the deaf and mute, yet charming young Barfi is highly remarkable and praiseworthy. He made his first film appearance with ''Saawariya'', and we have been charmed by his performance in romantic comedy films like ''Wake Up Sid'',''Anjaana Anjaani'', etc. But, however, according to my opinion, he gives his best performance in ''Barfi''. As the charming, handsome, yet deaf and mute Barfi, he is excellent and his performance is memorable.

Priyanka Chopra plays Jhilmil, an autistic girl. Her performance is strong and excellent. This is the second film where she and Ranbir have appeared together, the first being ''Anjaana Anjaani''. Priyanka Chopra also gives one of her best performances in Barfi!. Ileana D'Cruz as Shruti is also highly remarkable and excellent in her role. She made her Bollywood debut with this film.

The supporting cast is also excellent and all plays their roles excellent. Rupa Ganguly gives a good performance as Shruti's mother. Saurabh Shukla plays a police officer who is often seen chasing Barfi for the mischief he (Barfi) created, but however, he does have sympathy for him. All others plays their roles well.

''Barfi!'' is such a film that almost every scene is sweet. It is such a film which is entertaining throughout, which is capable of touching us. It can make us smile, laugh, and also bring tears to our eyes- such an excellent film it is.

Cinematography is remarkable and highly praiseworthy. All the scenes are beautifully shot. The background music deserves special praise. The beautiful background music contributes a lot to make this film wonderful. The songs are all wonderful. The locations where the film is shot are all beautiful.

But, however, despite the film being beautiful, entertaining, and enchanting, in a few scenes, it made me a little bored. But, however, don't think that those scenes are boring. It's just the length of this movie (2 hours and 30 minutes). In fact, all of the scenes possess sweetness and beauty.

Overall, ''Barfi'' is a sweet, entertaining, and enchanting movie. It's a beautiful and poetic story of love, fun, sacrifice, sorrows, and life. Strongly recommended! 

4 out of 5!