Sweet!

Barfi! is the kind of film that makes you care about the characters - smile with them, feel for them, empathize with their situation, root for them and ultimately, be with them in spirit in their journey. For this reason alone, it is a film that needs to be commended and promoted. That it achieves all of this and also manages to entertain is a complete bonus, and a delightful one at that!

Anurag Basu shakes off the effects of the monstrous snoozathon, remembered as Kites by the more adventurous who dared to watch it, and as the-Sphinglish-movie-that-almost-killed-Hrithik-Roshan's-career by others, and returns to his Gangster and Life..In a Metro roots to cook up a tasty, heart-warming, feel-good movie that focuses on characters and their lives rather than the audience's money. The story is beautiful and maturely handled. The cinematography is top notch. So is the background score by Pritam, which adds even more life to the movie. The music is perfect and used exceedingly well in the proceedings. The dialogues are minimal, given the predicament of the main protagonist, and yet, the few that exist, are well-written. The feel of the movie is cheerful, and in spite of the grave topics touched, remains happy throughout. The silent dramedy genre is not tried too often in Hindi cinema, and when it is tried so well, all you want to do is stand up and applaud. The supporting cast is apt and Saurabh Shukla in particular is delightful as a harrowed cop troubled by years of misdeeds by the protagonist. When you compare his portrayal of the character with something similar shown in typical Hindi movies, like Amitabh's character in the God-awful Bunty Aur Babli, you can see how we as an audience, have always valued star wattage more than good acting. And 7 years hence, things havent changed much. Even today, an Akshay Kumar for a Rowdy Rathore or an Ajay Devgan for a Bol Bacchan continues to get more acclaim for their "different" roles, over someone like Saurabh Shukla in this film or Anu Kapoor in Vicky Donor. Not to take anything away from Kumar or Devgan. They just happen to have larger fan bases. Ultimately, it is gems like Barfi! that wake us up from our mediocre slumber party.

The direction is of top quality, and in spite of loopholes like the predictable whodunit track, or the shaky back-and-forth in timelines, it does complete justice to the written word. The screenplay is brilliant and easily the best of the year yet. Coming to performances, Ileana exudes charm and confidence in her Hindi debut and fits her Bong character to the T. Hardly can you guess from her portrayal of Shruti that she is a born Goan, who has been working in mindless Telugu masala for 6 years. For someone whose hips, rather than emoting skills, have been the focus of much discussion for years down in Tollywood, Ileana does very very well and has Anurag Basu to thank for, for sketching such a meaty character for her debut. Priyanka Chopra packs a complete surprise! I had expected her to ape SRK from MNIK and was cringing at the thought of enduring that through the movie, but she plays the role subtle and subdued, with the right amount of energy when required. After Saat Khoon Maaf, here is another performance she can be proud of, when she eventually hangs up her boots. And finally, to the star of the show - Mr. Ranbir Kapoor. After wowing us in Wake Up Sid, RocketSingh, Raajneeti and Rockstar, RK delivers another masterstroke in and as Barfi. It is a very difficult character to play at any stage of your career, let alone so early, and I cannot imagine anyone doing as much justice to it as Ranbir does. He immerses himself completely and makes you smile when he plucks his heart out for Shruti, feel for him when he discovers he has no chance with her, and root for him when he is out to help Jhilmil. Doing physical comedy is no mean feat and the only one who has managed it well in the last 20 years is Govinda. RK however does a very different take on physical comedy, more of the Chaplinesque variety, and manages it with aplomb. No words can describe the brilliance of his performance. He is sure to sweep all awards and critical acclaim this year as well.

Ultimately, Barfi! is a film which deserves being seen, for few films are so sincerely made and yet manage not to take themselves too seriously. Missing it will be like missing out on something truly not worth missing, like a ummm....well made Barfi? :)