Barfi: Aptly Sweet !

I went to watch "Kites" because it was so hyped with Hritik Roshan in the lead. I was devastated by the movie. Just couldn't relate to it. So I was a bit negative about "Barfi" knowing it was directed by Anurag Basu. Good reviews even by habitual Bollywood bashers gave me some confidence to watch it. It took me almost a week to write this review because the movie really took some time to sink in !

The story is narrated mostly by Barfi's [Ranbir Kapoor] one-time lover Shruti [Ileana D'Cruz] and by the Police officer played by Saurabh Shukla using multiple short flash-backs. It takes quite some time to settle down with the happenings. But it doesn't slack at any moment.

It is a story of a hearing and speech impaired Burfi [originally named Murphy] who falls in love with the beautiful Shruthi and then loses her due to the gulf of class between them. It also is the love story of Burfi and Jhilmil [Priyanka Chopra] an autistic heir to a huge wealth owned by her maternal grandfather.

Time and again Shruti fritters away opportunities to attain her love. But she is an inherently nice girl and helps Burfi to reach his elusive love. A lot happens through the 16 reels at break neck speed even though we feel the movie moves at a leisurely speed.

Anurag Basu plays to the gallery using some endearing tricks like the hand of sleight in the painting scene. He also uses extreme symbolism when Burfi's bicycle breaks with a wheel getting separated as we see Shruti leaves Darjeeling railway station.

Accused of kidnapping and murdering Jhilmil, how Burfi establishes his innocence and how we reach the climax has been beautifully established. Saurabh Shukla has given a stand out performance and so has the entire supporting cast that includes Rupa Ganguly.

Ileana D'Cruz is absolutely beautiful and has given her best performance to date as Shruti. Priyanka Chopra is super-efficient in a somewhat inadequately researched role of autistic Jhilmil. But let us all stand up and applaud the arrival of a truly magnificent actor in Indian cinema. He was quite cool and efficient in his earlier movies including "Raajneeti". But this performance by Ranbir Kapoor straightaway elevates him to the class of people like his own grandfather Raj Kapoor, Kamal Hasan and such all time greats.

The camera work, back ground music and other technical aspects are top notch. Anurag Basu definitely deserves all the kudos he has been heaped upon since 14 September. We leave with a pleasant smile on our lips because the movie spreads happiness like the protagonist who is happy at all costs in spite of all the deficiencies and misfortunes, without ever blaming anyone.

My Opinion: A must watch. Even those who don't like the way the story unfolds will not be able to resist the charms of Ranbir Kapoor. A truly special performance!