Barfi - review

Merci Beaucoup Anurag Basu, for not giving in to the temptation, of indulging in histrionics, melodrama & exaggerated cinema, like over the top “Black” (yeah, yeah, I know a lot of you thought it was poetry on celluloid, so sorry!) & “My name is Khan” - the memory of SRK’s disgraceful interpretation of a person with aspergers syndrome, still makes me cringe! Post ‘Barfi, we forgive Mr. Basu, for the oh-so-silly, ‘Kites’!

Not too sure how to slot this movie – sure, it is a sublime love triangle; there are some laughs (when Barfi is chased unsuccessfully by the plump police Inspector, played delightfully by Saurabh Shukla); certainly there is an element of mystery, which is not too difficult to predict & some cool adventures, through picturesque locales; but what comes across loud & clear is, that despite the hero being a deaf-mute person & the leading lady having autism, this is no tear jerker; there is no attempt at earning the audience sympathy or reach-for-your-handkerchief moments!
Ranbir Kapoor shines as the mischievous, fun loving, flirtatious Barfi, who happens to be deaf and mute. His cocky romance, with the rich and charming Shruti, a competent & gorgeous Ileana D’Cruz, makes you smile; his attempts at turning to crime to pay for his father’s surgery, tugs at your heart strings; but the core strength of the movie, is the development of his relationship with the autistic Jhilmil - thrown together by the oddest of circumstances, the relationship spans reluctant babysitting (how incredibly tasteful these two are in the scene, where Jhilmil needs to do ‘susu’, instructs a horrified Barfi to open her underpants & refuses to close the bathroom door!) friendship, loyalty, dependence & love!

If I haven’t gushed about Priyanka Chopra, it is because, she is so immersed in the character of the autistic Jhilmil, you forget about the actress - I am sure experts will be better equipped to comment, as to how authentic her performance is, as a person with autism, but for me, it was a class act, where it so difficult to remember, that behind the buck teeth, innocent eyes & jerky movements, is an articulate Miss World! Respect, Pigs Chopra – you did good!

I must be getting soft, because I have to confess that I found a certain kind of serenity & simple dignity, in this love story, especially in the portions where Barfi and Jhilmil live together in Calcutta, looking like a couple of kids playing house!

Thoda confusion, when the movie resorts to a lot of flash backs, going back & forth, between the past & the present, but it all comes together in the end. Fans of the mother of all romantic films, “The Notebook”, will notice that the director has been inspired to lift certain scenes. Preetam’s music has that old world, lilting charm to it.

Go past the flaws, which are plenty; shut your ears to the music of the accordion - since 'Metro', Basu loves the touch of live musicians on screen; turn a blind eye to the fact that things may not pan out so ideally in asli zindagi;but who cares, when you have to deal with the lump in your throat, at the trusting way in which, Jhilmil links her small finger with Barfi & sleeps peacefully!

Ranbir, start picking up those Armani suits; Priyanka, dazzle us with your designer gowns; we’ll be seeing you at all the award functions for 2012!!!

movies on my wish list ...

Jab a movie buff like me, experiences a dry spell, when there is nothing exciting to watch, I handle the withdrawal symptoms, by going into fast forward mode & check out upcoming films, in the season ahead, which tickle my imagination....

Come November 2012 & Aamir Khan winds his way back into our lives & hearts, with Reema Kagti’s, ‘Talaash’. Now that I have mentioned AK, of Time cover fame, need I state any more reasons, for looking forward to this film?! But yes, Reema has ‘Honeymoon Travels’ under her belt & proved herself as a director. The leading ladies of this psychological thriller are Kareena Kapoor & after a long gap, Rani Mukherjee, who apart from being very competent actors, are sheer eye candy as well! Hopefully, the talaash for a good bollywood phillum will end with ‘Talaash’!!!

Mohsin Hamid’s stirring book, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” is the story of a successful Pakistani immigrant in America, with an Ivy League education, beautiful white girlfriend & the perfect job, who discovers, post the 9/11 attack, that his sympathies lie, not with the country of his dreams, but with the attackers.
With Mira Nair bringing the novel to life, on film, this is a movie to watch out for, with an impressive star cast, including Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Keifer Sutherlan, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, with Riz Ahmed playing the lead role of Changez. Definitely on my movie wish list!

Winner of the 1981 ‘Booker prize’ & the ‘Booker of Bookers prize’, Salman Rushdie’s much acclaimed ‘Midnight’s Children’, makes its movie debut, under the deft direction of Deepa Mehta. What an ensemble cast; Rahul Bose, Shabana Azmi, Shriya Saran, Anupam Kher, Soha Ali .... If the film is even half as good as the book, it will make movie magic, when released towards the end of 2012!

Les Misérables, because it was my daughter who read the Victor Hugo novel & in a case of role reversal, narrated the story to my husband & me, while we listened, spell bound. One of the most successful musicals on Broadway, the movie version is something to look forward to, in the cold months of 2012. While we know Ann Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman & Amanda Seyfried can act, the million dollar question is, ‘can they sing?’! Well, we’ll have to wait and watch out for this one!

AND I’ve saved the best for last – the prequel to the epic trilogy, Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, based on J R R Tolkien’s novel, hits cinema theatres, end 2012, as “The Hobbit”! ‘The Lord of the Rings” brought us the best of an epic, fantasy, adventure film & expectations are high from “The Hobbit”!

Watch this space for reviews of the above, as the year unfolds - you may love some, hate the others, but its difficult to ignore 'em ... that's the magic of movies!