Posts tagged burfi

Movie Review: BARFI! by FENIL SETA

1
8 months ago
by Fenil Seta in

I was spellbound when I saw Anurag Basu’s Gangster (2006). It was unlike any other love story I had witnessed in Hindi cinema before. The look, the feel, the anguish, the angst – all came out beautifully. Basu then came up with Life In A…Metro (2007) and Kites (2010). Both films had the Anurag Basu stamp all over but didn’t carry the magic and charm of Gangster. Thankfully, ‘Barfi!’ brings the best out of Anurag Basu! From the plot to the execution to performances, everything in the film is exemplary! Easily one of the finest films of 2012…and even Bollywood!

The story of the movie: 1972. Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) is deaf and mute. Yet, he’s happy-go-lucky and as haraami as any other guy in Darjeeling. Trouble arises when he falls for Shruti (Ileana DCruz). She too finds him irresistible. However, their love story has loads of problems. On the other hand, Barfi’s friendship with Jhimil (Priyanka Chopra) takes an unexpected turn. ‘Barfi!’ traces the journey of these characters at different phases of life.

‘Barfi!’ deals with differently-abled people. Many portions of the film don’t have dialogues. Yet, ‘Barfi!’ is like any other Hindi film. In fact, at times, viewers will forget that Barfi is disabled. Same goes, to an extent, for Jhilmil as well. Besides performances, the major strength of ‘Barfi!’ is the script and execution. Anurag Basu tells an honest and most importantly, ORIGINAL story. I doubt if this was lifted from a Hollywood or Korean or a film from any other cinema. More >

Anurag Basu talks about Ranbir’s character in Barfee

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Subhash K. Jha, April 21, 2011 – 13:05 IST

Anurag Basu recently finished a short but the most challenging portion of his Ranbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra-Ileana D’Cruz starrer Barfee. But he isn’t quite heaving a sigh of relief. The real battle of preparing Ranbir for the part of the happy-go-lucky deaf-mute character begins now.

Though Ranbir won’t speak in the film, he will not be entirely mute.

Explains Anurag, “If you’ve interacted with mute people, you’d know they are not entirely quiet. They make these sounds in place of using proper words. And those sounds convey the entire emotional verbal impact of their thought processes. For a normal actor to ‘speak’ in that guttural tone is not easy.”

Anurag won’t resort to a voice-over like Sanjay Leela Bhansali did for Rani Mukerji’s deaf and mute character in Black.

Explains Anurag, “Why must we treat cinema like a radio? Cinema is a visual medium. We don’t need to explain the character’s thoughts if the visuals do what they’re supposed to. The entire onus of conveying his character’s motivations is on Ranbir. Luckily by signing him I signed an actor who didn’t need to be trained from scratch about the behaviour of a deaf-and-mute character.”

Ranbir had learnt sign language during the making of Black where he was an assistant. Says Anurag, “The minute Ranbir heard the script he started talking to me in sign language. So I knew half the battle was won. Now we need to work on creating what Ranbir calls the More >

I’m too young-Ranbir Kapoor

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

That’s Ranbir Kapoor’s reason for turning down biopic on Kishore Kumar

Prithwish Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; April 16, 2011)

Ranbir Kapoor was in talks with a production house to play the role of Kishore Kumar in his official biopic. He was the second choice after Aamir Khan, whose dates could not be sorted out. Now RK too is distancing himself from the film. After retrospection, he feels that he is too young to play the legendary singer-actor.

This spells trouble for the project as Aamir and Ranbir were the only two choices. The part needs a solid actor, with a good comic timing, and there is no actor in the older or the younger bracket who can play Kishoreda convincingly. The Kapoor lad has declined the project because he feels that it needs an older actor and it would be too time consuming, in terms of homework. He would have to watch his old films, meet people who would give insights into the life of the singer-actor, work on the voice, the mannerisms, etc and for that, he would have to devote a major chunk — almost a year — of his time. Something he doesn’t want to do at this point.

RK confirms, “Yeah, I have been approached for the biopic on Kishore Kumar’s life. It’s an amazing story. I mean what an interesting life to capture on screen. But as of now I’m busy with Rockstar and Barfee/Barfi/Burfi and I prefer to work on one film at a time. I do think, I’m still too young to play this part. I would definitely love to do a film like this More >

Priyanka’s act of goodness

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 12, 2011)

 

Once you have helped someone, it rarely happens that they remember and return the favour. However, Priyanka Chopra is one of the few who do.

A couple of months ago, the actress shot for her long delayed KC Bokadia film Tera Deewana (earlier called Jugnu). Not only that, she also refused to take her due amount for it.

Of late, Bokadia has been going through a rough patch with Khuda Kasam, his last film, arriving almost a decade late last year.

So when he wanted to restart another impending project starring Priyanka and Govinda, the actress readily gave him dates out of her packed schedule. “She has been shooting non-stop for Don 2, Barfi/Burfi/Barfee and Agneepath.

Yet when Bokadia approached her she agreed to help him. She shot for a song and some scenes and even dubbed for the film. Bokadia had been a help in her early days and she returned the favour,” says a close friend of the actress.

KC Bokadia helped Priyanka Chopra(above) in her difficult times

Bokadia too admitted, “Priyanka not only agreed to shoot and dub but also assured her availability whenever I need her for the film later. She even returned her outstanding cheque of Rs 18 lakh.”

“This is the second time I have encountered such kindness. Some years back Shah Rukh Khan had refused to take Rs 94 lakh after completing my film Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. I am eternally thankful to them,” he adds.

Tapsee: The leading lady in Chashme Baddoor remake

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Bina Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; April 5, 2011)

Come August, David Dhawan, best known for his comedy films, will remake one of India’s most-loved funny films ever, the 1981-Sai Paranjpe film Chashme Baddoor.

David’s version of this lovable rom-com will be set in contemporary India, but the director was extra particular about one thing — the lead girl had to be special. Says David, “After months of searching for the right face and attitude, I found my ideal Chashme Baddoor girl in Taapsee. She has got the fresh innocent quality that was needed for this film.”

So who’s Taapsee? The former winner of Femina Miss Fresh Face and several other beauty pageants, she has played the lead in South films, Jhummandi Naadam and Aadukalam, both of which got her noticed.

What drew David to this fair, tall, attractive Leo girl is the right mix of innocence and mischievousness on her face. Says the filmmaker, “I always seek perfection. I have a gut feeling that my film is the right launch vehicle for her. Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, the studio that’s producing the film, is also confident of my choice. We are still in pre-production, but my producers are so confident about the girl that they have already signed her for two more films.” Chashme Baddoor should release early 2012.

 

Ranbir escapes a serious accident

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in
Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 04, 2011)

Ranbir Kapoor was recently shooting for his film Rockstar in Pahalgam. And the actor’s snowmobile skidded on the snow-covered road, smashing into the side barrier.

Thankfully, the barrier was strong enough, or perhaps it was sheer luck that the young Kapoor escaped the crevice below.

Says an eyewitness, “Everyone in the unit was stunned. When Ranbir’s snowmobile skidded out of control. It was rather sudden and unexpected.

Ranbir wasn’t doing a stunt or anything. It was just a normal sequence but with the ice so treacherous one can never know what can happen.”

“Though Imtiaz Ali, the director wanted to cancel the shoot, Ranbir picked himself up and continued with the shot.

Ranbir needed to finish the shooting in Kashmir because he had to start on Barfee/Burfi/Barfi in Mumbai,” adds the source.

Anurag Basu makes Burfi happy film

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Subhash K. Jha, March 31, 2011 – 11:17 IST

Ranbir Kapoor started shooting with Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz for Anurag Basu’s Burfi from March 15…finally! But after much deliberation, alteration and revision in the original concept.

Interestingly the principal actors and the director, not to mention the film’s producer, all need to get themselves and their screen images out of the depressive zone. Anurag Basu’s last film Kites was not only a box-office turkey, it also showed the lead pair committing suicide at the end of the film. Audiences rejected Anurag’s direful dedication to that thing they call love.

Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra’s last outing together was the mega-fiasco Anjaana Anjaani in which both played suicidal souls jumping off bridges, putting plastic bags on their faces, popping pills and seeking every possible means of ending their lives. Understandably the film had anything but a happy ending at the box-office.

Now in Burfi, Ranbir plays a deaf and mute character while Priyanka plays a mentally challenged girl. Not a very happy situation to be in, when your last film about depressed characters has been rejected at the box-office.

Not surprisingly, director Anurag Basu is making Burfi a positive life-asserting film with plenty of humour, music, dancing and singing. Basu has been holed up for some months concentrating on instilling a positivity and laughter into the script.

To begin with, the title of the film was changed from the More >

Burfi shoot halted due to Ind-Pak match

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Subhash K. Jha, March 30, 2011 – 11:25 IST

All roads on Wednesday would lead to Mohali for the World Cup match between India and Pakistan.

So, UTV, the producers of the new much talked-about under-production film Burfi, realized when their crucial first stint of shooting in Mumbai ground to a halt, albeit sportingly, on the insistence of the principal cast Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra and the self-confessed cricket fanatic, director Anurag Basu.

Simply put the team refused to shoot on the day when one of the most important cricket matches was being played. In fact Anurag Basu who was manoeuvring some truly tense sequences between his lead pair, went even further. He persuaded the shooting to be cancelled on Wednesday, decided to fly down to Mohali for one day, and fly back in time to resume shooting on Thursday.

Says a source very close to the unit, “It was Anurag who triggered off this whole cricket fever during the first spell off Burfi. The first thing he wanted to know when the schedule started was if the television in his van worked, since he didn’t want to miss any of the World Cup matches. This kind of engineered a cricket fever in Ranbir and Priyanka too. They too made sure their television sets were on the play mode. Every time a shot finished Anurag, Ranbir and Priyanka fled to their vans to catch the matches. We don’t know how they did those emotionally-charged scenes when they had cricket on their minds.”

Finally when the Indo-Pak match More >

Go to Top