Anurag Basu’s magnum opus attempt to portray unconditional love on
celluloid underlines the finer nuances required to convert a good work of art
into a great, timeless classic. Barfi has all the ingredients to become a
landmark cinema in the history of Bollywood but ends up being a half baked savory
that still tastes delicious thus forcing one to think the unexplored potential
of it. Barfi is essentially a story of a deaf, dumb, handsome young man
(Ranbir) who in spite of his physical limitations celebrates the essence of
life with a beautiful smile on his lips & spreads happiness all around. As
the effervescent Burfi ,Ranvir is outstanding and reminds one of Charlie
Chaplin & Raj Kapoor rolled into one. His effortless portrayal of the
character leaves you speechless and many a times his character becomes bigger
than the movie. He goes through the trails & tribulations of rejection in love,
but that does not result in dejection or bitter feeling. His chance meeting
with Jhilmil, the autistic daughter of a rich family transcends into a saga of
platonic love that crosses the barrier of a give & take world. Few
brilliant and hilarious run and chase sequences between Ranvir and Saurav Sukla
adds humor to the plot. Saurav Shukla as the pot bellied policeman reaffirms
what a fine actor he is.
The relationship of Barfi & Jhilmil has been captured poignantly
and provides some brilliant cinematic moment. Pritam’s music is mellifluous and
completely in sync with the tone of the movie. Ravi Verman’s remarkable cinematography,
be it capturing the hue of Darjeeling or the sublime romance between Jhilmil
& Barfi or the beautiful glowworm lit night deserves a special mention. Ilena
does justice to her role and Priyanka deserves kudos for her much restrained
portrayal of an autistic girl.
What acts as a damp squib to an otherwise brilliant movie is the
indulgence of its director to unnecessarily use sub plots and flash backs to
tell a simple story. It confuses the audience and complicates the narrative. The
motive for Jhilmil’s abduction remains too weak. No effort what so ever has
been given to develop the supporting characters like Jhilmil’s parents, which
could have added teeth to the plot.
But in spite of its weakness Barfi will remain an important cinema of
2012 for its protagonists astounding performance. Go indulge yourself with a
generous helping of Barfi !
