Barfi! : Sheer Cinematic Pleasure

Barfi !

                  You hear a music that reminds you of the melody of “In the Mood for Love” by Wong Kar Wai. A protagonist with no dialogues creates magic with his caricature-ish body movements and comical facial expressions. The only thing striking your mind can be Charlie Chaplin. But to disappoint you, I must reveal that, it’s Barfi! by our very own Indian director Anurag Basu.

                Basu has proven himself yet again with Barfi! after flicks like Gangster and Life In a Metro. After ages, I discovered a film that plays with layers and non-linear narrative so impeccably. Storytelling scores here big time and Basu knows his job to simplify the complexity of the multi-layered story of a deaf and mute boy, a confused urban girl and an autistic girl. The protagonist has his own share of sorrows which he discards with a big grin and lives life to the fullest. Borrowing his name from the famous radio Brand “Murphy”, Barfi is a live-wire unintentionally creating havoc, to mend his messed up life. Here is a film that grows on textures and Cinematic moments through expressions and visual narrative, rather than Vocal Dialogue delivery.

    

                  The narrative moves back and forward in a non-uniform but seamless manner. In a world of Hindi Cinema, where non-linear narratives are rare species, Barfi! comes as a breeze of fresh air. Set in the serene Darjeeling of 1978, the narrative moves ahead with personal accounts, time-travel (if we may say so) and subjective interpretation. Playing with visuals and actions, the director is successful in creative the right mood and pitch. His creativity reflects in many moments where viewers would laugh and cry and the same time and creating this is no joke in a movie where dialogues are rare. The transitions were so smooth and unpredictable that it amazed and pleasantly surprised me throughout the film.

Ranbir Kapoor in and as Barfi!

               Ranbir Kapoor lives the character of Barfi and his performance would surely bring him many trophies this time around. He is the nucleus of the narrative and he pulls off a deaf-and-mute character so effortlessly only with facial expressions and body movements. Portraying various moods and different layers of the psyche of Barfi is commendably done by Ranbir. I believe this is by far his most challenging role to play a physically challenged boy who lives a carefree life.

            Priayanka Chopra is not far behind and without any doubt this is her best performance so far. In the role of an autistic girl, she is immaculate and puts forward a strong competition to Ranbir. With hardly six lines to utter, she was only dependent on her facial and body expressions. And undoubtedly she deserves an accolade for this touching performance.

Priyanka Chopra in Barfi!

       Innocent love and affection finds its space in the narrative and is depicted very creatively by the director. Images and Visuals play a pivotal role in shelling out this bright, multi-hued flick. The Cinematographer Ravi Varman deserves a standing ovation for his outstanding framing, composition and lighting which will immediately take you to the world of “Cinema Paradiso”and “Life is beautiful”. Barfi!’s technical excellence is at par with the contemporaries of French and other European Cinema. The scissors of Akiv Ali leaves no stone unturned to do a snappy editing job. There is not a single blank space or dull moment in the flick. Without many dialogues from the lead characters, music and sound designing was very vital in the narrative and it’s pulled off perfectly by the music and is debut background score by Pritam. Sound Mixing by National Award winner Debajit Changmai was a delight and adds to the glory.  

Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in Barfi!

            My expectations were pretty high about Barfi! after the promos were up on Satellite channels and websites.  The director does not disappoint us and takes us on a magical journey down the memory lane to a distant dreamland. The visual imagery and multi-layered non-linear narrative creates pure Cinamatic Pleasure. Another signature style of Basu is evident from the inclusion of three musicians playing at different points in time, which we witnessed in Life In A Metro as well in slightly different manner. Despite the second half being a bit loose on the narrative, Barfi! stays close to your heart with its immaculate performances, great Camerawork, soothing music and strong direction. Hats off to you, Anurag Basu !!