Barfi!: It’s specially enabled

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D'Cruz, Rupa Ganguly
At: PVR & others
Rated: 9/10
Barfi is a specially enabled film, but not at all because it is a love story of an autistic girl and a deaf-mute boy. It is differently enabled because it laughs when it is expected to cry, it sings instead of sobbing and it strikes such a perfect balance between humour and pathos that, in the process, it becomes impossibly endearing.
 The soul of the film lies in many factors, the prime among them being its utmost simplicity and conscious effort to steer clear of the complications of physical and mental ailments. Barfi is a film that dotes on normalcy, a film that takes disabled life and its drawbacks in its stride. It is also a film wherein Ranbir Kapoor showcases how he is well on way to becoming the greatest of the Kapoors ever.
Ranbir’s trajectory to the peak of success has been just like the man he plays in this newest venture — incredibly different. When boys his age are looking for romantic lead roles hinged on sweet nothings, Ranbir’s huge histrionic talent has gone for the extraordinary. Barfi is a boy who makes the normal janata look sheepish before his cheerful deaf and dumb existence. He is full of life, prancing with the joys around him, not at all bothered about the fact that he does not, rather is not, capable of conversing with in words. But he still speaks volumes with his positive approach towards life. He is so funny that he never allows you to feel sorry for him, not even when he is turned down by his first love, and almost loses his second.
But the beauty of this engaging film is not centred around Ranbir. Priyanka, as the completely deglamourised autistic girl, takes your heart too with her carefully crafted helpless gestures, her little girl mind and her ek chhoti si love story. Illeana D’ Cruz, though left a little unattended as a no-handicap lady, has amazing screen presence. Over and above all this, Barfi is out and out Anurag Basu’s baby — he has worked hard to make it look artistically picture perfect and emotionally celebratory. The only niggle is that his effort is a wee bit pronounced — and that’s what keeps it an inch away from the tag ‘amazing’. The good thing, however, is that Barfi is Filmfare all the way on many counts — for it’s the only one till now that knew the difference between goodness of drama and badness of melodrama; one that stood up with specially enabled directors, actors and producers who give meaning to Bollywood.
Source: 16 September, 2012, The Sunday Pioneer

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