Barfi! Review

Number 114 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time is the Indian comedy-drama Barfi!

Barfi! is set in the 70's and tells the story of its titular character Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) who is a deaf and mute prankster.  The film depicts his relationship with two different women: his first love, Shruti (Ilena D'Cruz) and his true love, the autistic Jhimil (Priyanka Chopra.) Meanwhile, Barfi is relentlessly pursued by policeman Subhansu Duttu (Saurabh Shukla.)

Barfi! is the fifth Indian film that I have seen after 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti, Like Stars on Earth and Laagaan: Once upon a Time in India and Indian cinema still continues to impress me.  This is also the first Indian film that I've watched, which hasn't starred Aamir Khan.

When Anurag Basu was directing Barfi!, he paid homage to the silent movie stars Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and I definitely recognised this.  A lot of the film's comedy was physical and slapstick.  There were great chase sequences set to music and involving a good number of props.  These scenes wouldn't have been out of place in a silent film and they were a great homage to films like City Lights and Modern Times.  On a couple of occasions, I also spotted posters displaying The Tramp.

Another reason why the film worked so well was of the brilliant performances of the three lead actors.  Ranbir Kapoor made Barfi a likeable, charming character, especially considering that he doesn't speak at all.  Instead, he uses his body to great effect, just like Chaplin and Keaton.  Kapoor was a brilliant comic actor, as he didn't use any standard sign language, but his own behavioural patterns.

While Kapoor was great in his role, Chopra was fantastic.  She really researched her role to ensure that it was as authentic as possible.  And this definitely showed.  She received universal acclaim, which was deserved.  Chopra could have taken the easy way out and could have portrayed Jhimil in a a stereotypically offensive way.  But she didn't.  Her portrayal of Jhimil was sensitive and sympathetic.

In 1970's India, autism was treated as little more of a disease.  Jhimil's parents treat her as an embarrassment and her peers laugh at her.  There was a beautifully poignant scene, where Jhimil is singing, but other children are laughing at her.  She screams to them to stop, which was saddening.  I think the best part about Jhimil was that I didn't pity her.  I felt sorry for her, but I definitely didn't pity her.  She was strong and single-minded, even if her autism stopped her from effectively communicating herself.

Another reason why Jhimil worked so well was her relationship with Barfi.  She loves him unconditionally and the scenes portraying their fledgling romance were some of the most touching in the film.  The two characters complimented one another with their respective conditions.  Jhimil becomes deeply attached to Barfi, becoming distressed whenever the two are separated, while Barfi helps Jhimil to better understand herself.

Finally, we come to the character of Shruti.  Originally, Shruti was in love with Barfi, but her parents convinced her to marry someone of higher status and wealth.  This resulted in her moving away from Barfi.  Six years later, she returns and reconnects to Barfi, much to the chagrin of Jhimil who runs away.  Despite how Shruti can finally be with Barfi, she knows how much he loves Jhimil and so helps him find her.  I think it would have been all too easy to portray Shruti as a bitter, resentful villain, but instead she was sympathetic and likeable.

One final mention should be given to Saurabh Shukla who portrayed the hapless police officer Dutta.  He added a lot of comedy to the film, especially within his pursuit of Barfi.  But just like Shruti, it would have been too easy to portray him as the villain, which he wasn't.

Overall, this was a great film, which perfectly balanced its comedic and emotional themes.  The characters were well-developed and the performances were brilliant.  Definitely one to watch.