12 years have passed, and Barfi! continues to leave a lasting impression on many hearts. The film filled with love and hope has beautiful performances by the lead cast, including Ranbir Kapoor in the titular role, Priyanka Chopra Jonas as adorable Jhilmil, and Ileana D'Cruz as sweet Shruti, directed by Anurag Basu. The 2012 period romance comedy Barfi! had important supporting roles from Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Roopa Ganguly, Jisshu Sengupta, and Haradhan Bandopadhyay. The narrative revolves around Barfi, a deaf and mute young man whose life revolves around his relationships with two women: the stunning Shruti and the autistic Jhilmil. The film takes place in Darjeeling and Kolkata in the 1970s.

Barfi! plot setting

Barfi! takes place in a remote part of the country in the 1970s and tells the story of three young people who discover that love defies normalcy itself. A speechless boy named Barfi falls madly in love with Shruti after suffering a devastating loss. There is a lot of pressure on Shruti to marry a "normal man" and live a "normal life," but she gives in since she loves Barfi so much. After a long separation, they reunite when Barfi, who is evading the authorities, seeks out Jhilmil. After learning that Jhilmil has a mental disability, Shruti realises that true love is blind. As Shruti becomes entangled in a game of cat and mouse with Barfi to find the girl he loves, she comes to terms with the fact that she is still head over heels for him. Her happiness and his happiness now contradict each other. Will Shruti's one chance at happiness be forever lost, and will Barfi and her be able to rekindle their love as they search for Jhilmil? "Barfi!" introduces a new language to love.

Barfi! premiered in theatres around the globe on September 14, 2012, and many critics lauded the film for its depiction of physically challenged people, as well as its director, writing, photography, and score. It amassed Rs. 175 crore globally and became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India and abroad, achieving tremendous financial success. Barfi! has been a cult classic since its debut thanks to its upbeat plot, memorable songs, stellar acting, and overall positive vibes.

Barfi! was India's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards, and it received multiple nominations and wins at various Indian award shows.

Anurag Basu's vision and silent film influences

A man who is deaf and mute, a girl who has mental disabilities, and a narrator are the three main characters in the film that Anurag Basu planned. Reports suggested that the film, with its previous titles like Khamoshi and Silence, had a melancholic tone. The filmmaker said the exact opposite; the film was full of joy. Basu claims that he used silent-era scenes and physical comedy alluding to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin as a way to pay tribute to their work.

You'll notice that Barfi! follows a non-linear narrative. Speaking about this, the filmmaker shared that he made an effort to adhere to a chronological order. However, it had little effect. The plot of Barfi! is extremely simple, and the filmmaker would have lost his viewers if he had maintained a linear plot. The filmmaker doesn't think a more conventional film would have been as good. Basu knew that non-linear narrations annoyed Indian audiences, so he wrote Barfi! unadorned. That way, though, it was dull.

Casting process

In terms of the casting process, the filmmaker was hoping to cast Jhilmil, a young woman from Kolkata, as the autistic protagonist. Tani, Basu's wife, proposed Priyanka for the role. He was concerned that viewers might mistakenly see "Priyanka Chopra" instead of the character because of the actor's fame. Basu expressed concern that Priyanka's portrayal of Jhilmil would not resonate with the audience. A lot of films have this problem when well-known actors hurt the protagonist.

Before announcing Priyanka's casting, the filmmaker wanted to hold a workshop so that everyone could gauge their reaction. Three days into the workshop, Basu was certain that the actor could pull off the role, and he remarked on how fortunate he was to have cast her. The filmmaker later admitted that he had approached Priyanka alone for the role.

In the movie, Priyanka Chopra portrayed Jhilmil, and Basu called her character the "toughest." She spent time with autistic people and visited various mental asylums as part of her research. The actor mentioned that she had to do some background reading for the part due to India's low level of autism awareness. According to Priyanka, in order to play Jhilmil without thinking about it, she had to release all of her inhibitions, which she likely had as a heroine in Hindi films. Due to the dissonance between her character's ideas and actions, she took two minutes to fully immerse herself in Jhilmil's world.

Meanwhile, Ranbir portrayed a character in the film who was both deaf and mute. His grandpa Raj Kapoor, Charlie Chaplin, Roberto Benigni, and other cinematic greats were sources of inspiration for the actor, according to him. Basu chose not to include sign language in the film, but he did include certain behavioural patterns because the protagonist is physically disabled. Ranbir portrayed his role as an ordinary, carefree, and generous human being.

A statement from Ileana, who played the protagonist's initial romantic interest and narrator, read that Shruti is such a sensitive role to play as she goes to different phases in the film.

According to Basu, Saurabh Shukla's portrayal of Inspector Dutta was the most crucial, followed by those of Chopra, Kapoor, and D'cruz. According to the filmmaker, the persona is "amazing" and can make people cry with his laughter.

Music and soundtrack

Swanand Kirkire, Ashish Pandit, Neelesh Misra, and Sayeed Quadri wrote the lyrics, while Pritam composed the melody and background score. The soundtrack album featured six original songs, while the score drew inspiration from Brazil's Bossa Nova style.

According to Basu, who defended the film by claiming that he drew inspiration from these works, Barfi! has a distinctive story, script, characters, and events. In his words, he was honouring the work of greats like Chaplin and Keaton. Manju Borah, head of the Oscar selection committee, defended the picture, saying that Barfi! deserves to be sent outside in response to criticism that it was chosen for Best Foreign Language Picture at the ceremony. It came down to the top film out of the last three after an open and honest selection process that included three or four rounds of intense debate.

Availability on OTT

On OTT, you can stream Barfi! on Netflix. 

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