‘Picture shuru, huyi picture shuru………………’

Even before the film started, ‘Barfi!’ gave a reason to smile.

In the divine settings of Darjeeling, in its narrow streets and alleyways, the ubiquitous rail lines circuiting all over the beautiful hill station and in the hearts of the simple minded residents (lucky them!), this movie had a feel good quality that leaves our heart warm and mellow. Plus, I must say, what use is a beauty if not properly captured on a photographic film? Great job done by the cinematographers!!

But hadn’t it been due to the stellar performances of Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, this movie, inspite of the picturesque settings, might have been bland and lackluster.  A poignant portrayal of an autistic girl by Priyanka Chopra, I must say kudos to her acting acumen because no other actress worthy of her salt might have succeeded in doing what she had achieved. Ranbir (“Barfi!”)  Kapoor a.k.a. Raj Kapoor, a.k.a. Mr. Bean, achieves through his silence what the gun toting, expletive spewing and loudly guffawing  protagonists (be it Salman Kan or Akshay Kumar) of Southern Replicas could not achieve – merit in their performance. Even the newbie Ileana D’ Cruz fits in the shoes of Shruti Sengupta quite naturally. She is here to stay in Bollywood.

But everything hinges on the shoulders of the puppeteer to see through the successful execution of the act, and to use the banal phrase, Anurag Basu (Director/Writer) is a dab hand at it! Revolving around three different timelines, Anurag Basu has succeeded in making this story seamless, which if not handled properly might have seen troubles sprouting out from every nook and cranny.

Well, I won’t reveal the storyline. I even hope that you won’t open Wikipedia to check out the story. Because as Alfred Hitchcock said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” Of course, he meant it for spine chillers, but the message remains validated.

Though slowing down a wee bit in the second half, this movie is indeed a success, as according to me it has succeeded what it has endeavored to portray, that ‘Love is unadulterated, 100% pure.’