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cherlapalli_jailer

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cherlapalli_jailer LEGEND

cherlapalli_jailer

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[size=5]Barfi hit and illu got good feed back [/size]

[size=5][font="Arial"]Barfi's as irresistible as they come. Played by Ranbir Kapoor [ [url="http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=ranbir+kapoor"]Images[/url] ] with that marvellous abandon which is increasingly marking him out to be a truly special leading man -- his shoulders well outgrowing those of (all) his A-list peers and rubbing now alongside actual acting heavyweights -- his Barfi is a treat, a bushy-tailed hero with a highly infectious spring in his step. There is a natural grace to his klutziness, and he does very strongly indeed with this Chaplin-tribute role, bestowing his character with heart every step of the way. To paraphrase the radio hoarding seen in nostalgia-tinted Darjeeling, Kapoor's Barfi "sets the standard."

It is a bravura performance, highlighted by a particularly vulnerable outburst where Barfi momentarily drops the smile and would really, really like to yell.

Ileana D'Cruz, as the pretty Ghoshling narrating the film, does brilliantly. Her character is a trickily nuanced one, simple yet committed, indecisive yet brave, and the most real of the bunch, and she makes it work, using the silences expressively, heartbreakingly well, and really making her romance with Kapoor magical. A scene where the two kiss, as wordless as the rest of the film, is a moment of absolute perfection.

Rupa Ganguly does well as Shruti's mother -- even though I personally suspect her one dramatic line is a convenient fib --and Saurabh Shukla [ [url="http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=saurabh+shukla"]Images[/url] ] is great as a heavy, harrowed cop.

As Jhilmil, Priyanka Chopra [ [url="http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=priyanka+chopra"]Images[/url] ], god bless her soul, does indeed try valiantly to play autistic, but -- trapped not just by the film's most flawed character and plotline -- makes that cardinal mistake expressed so unforgettably in [i]Tropic Thunder[/i]: she goes full retard. She's not bad, even very effective in a couple of scenes, but her character belongs to a different film. (Ideally a shorter one, because it does drag this one down.)

Barfi, Shruti, Jhilmil… The warmth doesn't stop there. A police station is called Sleep, a shelter is called Smile. And as we see a fugitive hero hijack a crucial ride almost as an afterthought, it's hard not to get swayed.

Two of my favourite moments in [i]Barfi! [/i]involve deft cinematic sleight of hand: we see a hand painting a canvas, and, as the camera pulls out, realise its not the one we assume; much later, another hand tugs on a shirt, and here too we are fooled by it belonging to another. The misdirection is skilful and pleasing, but I do wish the beautifully beguiling beginning hadn't turned out to be an example of the same.

[b]Rediff Rating:[img]http://im.rediff.com/movies/2012/sep/rating3half.gif[/img][/b][/font][/size]
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