Barfi

A breath of fresh air over the contemporary, stereotypical melodramas of Bollywood. I don’t like watching a movie for two and half hours, but this movie, with its silent tale and enthralling performances allowed me to sit and be lost in the 1970 setting of Darjeeling and Bengal. The second half of the movie was a bit of a drag, but I am not complaining. The songs were beautiful and Ranbir Kapoor as deaf-mute, with his Charlie Chaplin antics played the role with grace and brilliant passion and Priyanka Chopra as an autistic girl gave a laudable performance. Ileana as the Bengali bahu gave a good performance, but she took my breath away with her simplicity in the saree clad attires. For me, the fulfillment of the love between the unlikely prospects in the film, left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. But above all, Barfi stole my heart.

Love does not always come in convenient packages, but, to what extent does one want to go, to enjoy and cherish that love? The little things are what makes the relations endearing. The day-to-day nuances and the silly laughs make the hearts warmer. The mundane chores sure impose a lot, particularly in Indian living, where guys are typically born with silver spoon (;)), but, when the guy and girl cherish each other, even that mundane chore becomes a warm memory. As we move through life, the carefree child vanishes from the face of earth. The unbridled laughter that rings so pure in the heart of a child becomes a ritualistic nuance of a grown adult. But this movie, made me see that, despite everything else that goes on, the childish laughter is essential to hold the happiness together. How often do we take time to put that smile on the ones we love? It’s a rhetorical question!

Smile is the only curve that sets a lot of things straight. It is not always easy to smile, but one can surely make an attempt to do it! Barfi made me smile and I thank Anurag Basu for that. We require more films that have a better base than the senseless formula romance. Watch it, if you have not watched it already and let it fill you with the joy of living.