Don’t worry be ‘Barfi!’

When I first saw the trailer of Barfi , I was totally awed. Sesh did tell me this movie comes from the maker of Kites which has exciting promo too, I told him this might be different. When the movie released, I only read great reviews all around and I had high expectations. The promotions tried to make the ‘Dont worry Be Barfi’ catchphrase and failed miserably. The cast and director kept repeating there isn’t a single sad scene in the movie. I kinda was prepared for a happy movie. Before I could see the movie , I happened to go through a lot of ‘Barfi is a copy’ articles.  When I finally saw the movie, I felt it was good but something was missing.

Don’t worry Be Happy?

I honestly thought the movie was a drag at some parts but still felt that the movie was good if not great. I did tell my friends that even though few scenes were indeed copied, the core of the movie was original and baring the 15 mins of the copied stuff, the movie is still a good watch. There were way too many sad moments in the movie and I don’t agree with the director that it’s a happy movie. On the contrary, The story goes like this : Hero is sad that he falls in love with a girl who is already engaged, he is sad when humiliated at her house, he is sad when his love abandons him and goes out of his life as quickly as she had arrived. He is sad when his dad goes jobless, His is sad his dad’s kidney fails and eventually ends up in hospital , he is sad that he has no money and his Dad’s boss don’t help him. He is sad when his bank robbery plan fails, he is sad(read devastated) when his Dad dies , he is sad when he is stuck with an autistic girl ,  He is now a felon with robbery and kidnapping charges, His love comes back into his life but his new love goes out of his life. He is charged with a murder, he goes into depression.  This is a story of Barfi in the order they happen in his life. I feel this is a sad story. This story indeed has a happy ending in the last-minute when he finds his new love and abandons his old love and lives happily ever after. But most Hindi movies have a happy ending in the last-minute, that doesn’t make a movie to be repeatedly called a Happy Movie. Don’t worry be Barfi? I think not!

Don’t worry copy Barfi?

Most Bollywood movies in recent years are a rip-off or some other language and I don’t mind this  as long as the end product is entertaining. What is irritating is the Directors shouting its original movie. I did say initially, the movie has some 15-20 mins of copied material and I think it has been shared enough on FB and I need not mention them again. When I happen to come across this link. I was dumbfounded to find that may be only 15 mins of this movie is original. Here are more scenes and many crucial scenes which are copied too! If you don’t trust me and wanna see the original scenes , indulge here (comments section).

The turning back of clock during their first meet. I really had a good feeling when I watched this scene and was really sad to find it is not original. Sentence to sentence is a copy.

The newspaper scene where Barfi stares at his own pic in paper while paper being in the Sadhu’s lap. I had a hearty laugh , alas this is not original.

The bill that sticks to his hand/shoes is a copy from one of Mr.Bean thingy.

The peeing in from of Paddy field with the people popping up ( again the Korean movie)

The show throwing to catch attention is a supposed to be copy ( of some Malayalam movie)

A deaf guy copying his boss’s daughter is a story from a Korean movie it seems.

The cart race when Barfi is pulling PC in the cart

His dad struggling and dying while Barfi is asleep is also copied.

Every comment in that above blog, more and more stuff turned out to be copy. Even some of original stuff which has a remote resemblance can get branded as a copy now. The director has done a commendable  job in weaving a plot and story around so many copied scenes. I only wish the inspiration was more subtle rather than unimaginative and shameless frame to frame copy.

Dont worry, Act Barfi!

The whole copy thing apart, what makes Barfi worthy of watching is the performance delivered by each of its main cast. Ranbir has done a wonderful job but I think I loved PC the most as an autistic person. Many hindi movies have had such characters in past but nothing comes close to the act delivered by PC. The whole look and body language and the small nuances are executed to the hilt. The feel of the movie is very feel-good, the camera work compliments that feel and the actors have left no stone unturned to achieve that feel-good factor admist the tragedy that happens all around.

Dont worry, Oscar Barfi?

I don’t subscribe to the thought that getting an Oscar would make Barfi the best movie of all time but I do believe that Oscar is one of the highest form of recognition. I think many people felt that Barfi was not fit to be in Oscar but I think it was the best in the list. I don’t mean that Barfi was a better movie that other in the list. I read an article by Rajeev Masand which actually changed my mind on this. I had always had an idea that sending a movie for Oscar was all that needed to be done , I didn’t know movie-makers have to spend crores and make the Jury members watch the movie. They need to run a campaign for few months and spend money and time. Big banners are better at doing this than small/regional film makers.  It is about winability, it is not really so much about which is the best film.

All said and done, Barfi is good for one time watch. I personally would not be able to watch it again when its playing on TV near me. The main character being deaf and mute gives this movie inherent power to make its audience feel for the protagonist. If any of you guys liked Ranbhir, you gotta watch the movie  Koshish which is a masterpiece on this genre.