Seeking True Love (2017) User Reviews (125)

Laugh out loud Family Entertainer

[akshay-ak-kumar · 7/10 · 27 August 2017]

There was an age in Hindi Cinema where doyens like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterji made some of Hindi cinemas finest comedies featuring the middle class man. The story revolved around the man's life and the movies were clean and simple. Golmaal, Itni Si baat, Chupke Chupke were some of the finest movies that came out from this duo.

Bareilly Ki Barfi (BKB) belongs to that forgotten era and I thank Ashwiny Iyer and Nitesh Tiwari to take us back to that era and make a film that connects with today's audience.

Set in Bareilly in UP and inspired from Sajan, the movie is one hell of a romantic comedy from start to finish. The story of 20 something yr old Bitti who works for the Electricity Board who smokes, drinks, eats non veg, watches English movies and does break dance on her terrance and falls for a writer of flop book is an interesting premise. Her Dad is loving caring and supportive but her mom thinks her as a pain.

The 1st half is hilarious with some great one liners and well written scenes. Everything shown on screen is so authentic that I felt I was transported to Bareilly and I could connect with Bitti, her parents and Chirag the man loves Bitti and who also has secretly written the book Bitti loves. There are no heavy scenes and the humour never goes over the top.

The 2nd half is taken to another level thanks to the entry of Rajkummar Rao at the end of 1st half. And here I thank the writers who ensure not to stretch the story to long and wrap the movie with a predictable sweet ending. Believe me this movie is just 2 hours long which is awesome as per Hindi movie standards.

Coming to performances, Kriti Sanon as Bitti finally gets an author backed role and shines but still needs a few movies like these to showcase her acting chops. Khurana is turning out to be the Amol Palekar of our times and does is part well and with ease. Pankaj Tripathy and Seema Pahwa as Bitti's parents are hilarious as the bickering couple and have some of the best one liners in the movie. And Rohit Chaudhary as Khurana's friend is very good.

However, the star of this film is Rao. And he deserves an award of this film and if not an award, at least a nomination. The actor is brilliant from the word go. He brilliantly plays the meek and timid Vidrohi and switches to the rash hooligan Vidrohi which such ease that I was spell bound. He is a great actor and I hope he gets more films to show that he is in a league of his own. Watch out for the bike and pan scene.

The music is simple and not too many songs and I loved the way Bareilly has been captured.

This is a movie that you can watch with your family irrespective of the age groups and its great to see a clean rom com after a long time.

An Authentic and a sweet love story,just like a Barfi!

[rishabhdb · 8/10 · 20 August 2017]

I have to say Ashwini Iyer Tiwari has a lot of authenticity in her movies, also it's written by Nitesh Tiwari giving it really good dialogues. No it's not the same love story or characters or locations. This is one movie entirely shot in Bareilly, making you feel as if you're right there! Also the entire cast is compatible very easily, especially Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa. In addition, Rajkumar Rao sails through the movie, with quite a quirky character of Pritam Bidrohi! Ayushman plays the same romantic guy with a little more emotion in Bareilly style but Kriti just does not make you feel like Bitty Mishra, she's done her part but a little below expected, nevertheless, this film is great for being an authentic rom com narrated and pulled off in a funny and sweet way that'll make your day especially the ending, being very different from the usual rom coms and making you realize that love in the end is sweet and delightful It's a different one, watch it if you liked Nil Battey Sannata and Rajkumar Rao!

Watch it for Rajkumar Rao

[vjnambu · 7/10 · 24 December 2018]

When I saw its trailer first, I knew that this would be a rajkumar rao show. And my guess didn't turn wrong. My 7 stars are only for rajkumar rao. Its his performance that makes this film worth watching. Rest things story, script and other performances are nothing great.

Pure fun until you don't try to be Sherlock Holmes

[saketsaurav-86828 · 9/10 · 19 August 2017]

If Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania was a modern take on DDLJ, Bareilly Ki Barfi up to some extent is a modern take on Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt's Saajan. The former was less comedy and more drama and this one comes with more comedy and less drama. The characters are very well chosen and the screenplay gives you light moments to keep smiling throughout the film. Most of the time you remain neutral on who is going to get the girl. The movie has been edited at places to keep the length short and this is where many people will find holes, in the last half an hour. Overall the movie is an excellent one time watch with family.

Characters Seem Real and True

[sai-vineet · 10/10 · 30 September 2017]

How often you watch a Movie which is so well and solidly written that the characters are tremendously real. The actors portraying those roles they appear utmost genuine and authentic to the audience. Well, Bareilly Ki Barfi is one such movie.

Set in the small town of Barielly (Uttar Pradesh) we get introduced to the characters within five - ten minutes of the movie playing by the Voice - Over/Narrator (thanks to Javed Akhtar). We get introduced to Mishra Family, Father (Mr. Narottam Mishra) played superbly and excellent by Pankaj Mishra. Mom (played brilliantly by Seema Pahwa) and Bitti (played excellently by Kriti Sanon). They have a sweet shop just attached to their home which is run by Narottam Mishra. Seema Pahwa is a teacher in a primary school and Bitti Mishra works in Power Sub - Station like a Customer Care or Support Executive answering and attending phone calls. Hats off to Ashwini Iyer Tiwari for beautifully portraying the relationship between father and daughter (Pankaj Mishra and Kriti Sanon respectively). I mean how often in Bollywood Movies you see father borrowing a cigarette from his daughter, and on top of that he gives all that space and liberty to his daughter.

Bitti's mother too remains suspicious and revolting for her daughter and her actions. Worried still that she may never get married after being rejected twice. Bitti later on finds support and solace in an nondescript and inconspicuous novel published by a Printing Press owner (Chirag Dubey played remarkably well by Ayushmaan Khurrana). The Novel's Title and Film's are Namesake. Bitti after reading the novel correlates with our own self like all the habits which she had bear a stark similarity with the female protagonist in the Novel. She gets smitten and falls in love with the Author of the Novel - Bareilly Ki Barfi. Here is the twist in the story. Even though Author of the Novel is none another than Chirag Dubey (Ayushmaan Khurrana) himself, who is heart - broken as his first love affair ended in a tragedy and was a disaster believes and fears that there will be backlash from women in the society and also his first love will be dishonored. Having said that, he asks his close friend Pritam Vidrohi (played ultimately well by Rajkummar Rao) to publish his name and photograph at the back of the Novel and credit him as the Author of the Novel. Pritam reluctantly agrees, but immediately after leaves Bareilly and settles in Lucknow by managing a job at a Saree Store. In the meanwhile Chirag falls in love with Bitti. On the other hand Bitti asks Chirag to fix up a meeting with Pritam and she desperately wants to meet him. In this era of Whatsapp, Facebook, Messenger who cares for hand written letters. They are a thing of bygone era. But wait, Writer and Director (Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari) bring this bygone thing and portray it to immaculate perfection onto the screen.

Bareilly Ki Barfi is very simple and ordinary love story or I will say Love Triangle, but narrated, portrayed and enacted brilliantly and flawlessly.

Also, take a look at the characters, they are so real and sincerely true in their emotions, behaviors, mannerisms. Right from the first frame to the moment when the end credits roll along, you as audience tend to flow with the narrative and in fact try to identify and associate with all of the characters. This is the power of script and screenplay and not to mention the direction. Must watch specially if you believe in good, clean and wholesome cinema.

A sweet and funny movie that bollywood needed

[winner-98765 · 7/10 · 2 October 2018]

Apart from a weak beginning and a predictable and loose ending, I thoroughly enjoyed Bareilly ki Barfi.

After a lousy start, I was pleasantly surprised by how cohesive and tight it became. Rajkumar Rao's introduction and everything following it was brilliantly written, acted and directed. It would leave you laughing with a smile on the face up until the final act.

1 no. Movie - Full Paisa Wasool!!

[kapilsinghjalandra · 9/10 · 24 August 2017]

Rajkumar Rao's level of acting skills shown in this movie is rarely seen in any film. Whether it is Seema Pahwa Ji or Pankaj Tripathi, or Ayushmann's Friend Munna, if you get to see the performance of the amazing acting skills. Javed Saheb's rhyme narration is also amazing in the middle of this film.first 20-30 minutes that slow Pace covered by Rajkumar Rao. A compliment to play a double role done by RR. Bareilly's Barfi, Bitti also acted well. There are many small comical scenes in this movie which will keep your paddle until the end. Prior to Interval, the punk/gullible scene of Rajkumar will make you jump from the seat and clap your hands. Overall, RR has given life to this good script. Filled with small artists and artists of the stage, this film is full of entertainment and full of good acting.

Rajkumar rao rocks!!!!

[ayushgarg-23565 · 7/10 · 24 October 2019]

One time definite watch... rajkumar rao nailed his character... overshadow everyone in this...

A great entertainer throughout

[anshul-goyal · 9/10 · 23 August 2017]

Rajkumar Rao is the most under-rated actor in Bollywood. Personally, I rate him as high as Irrfan Khan. It's a great entertainer which will keep you glued to the seat for 2 hours. Kriti Sanon also did a pretty good job. However, Ayushman disappointed me. He doesn't do anything new and looks like the same character in all the movies.

A promising start turns into a nonsensical story, though comically enjoyable nonetheless

[Peter_Young · 6/10 · 17 October 2021]

Bareilly Ki Barfi starts on a promising note - a warm and lighthearted delivery makes for an interesting watch where we also get a nice commentary on the state of women in middle-class families. Bareilly is portrayed beautifully, and director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari shows a true middle-class sensibility. Sadly, what goes on later as the story develops is one big mess, the film loses direction and adopts a rather senseless sort of narrative, which is more of a typical love triangle of sorts ridden with caricature characters and little credibility.

And not only in the narrative will you see an unwelcome change. The film's initial portions focus pretty much on the leading lady, relating her story in a beautifully realistic way. It takes just about half an hour to relegate her from the protagonist to a secondary part of the love interest, where a corny subplot involving two guys takes precedence. The entire track of taking a nerdy guy and turning him into a cool sort of guy hardly rings true and is really quite childish. Everything happens too fast, including the nerd's revenge, the heartbreak, and the conclusion.

This is not to say the film is not enjoyable. It is - it's funny and entertaining and despite its poor development, the overall feel remains warm and simple in terms of both setting, dialogue, and the small characters. That's why the disappointment. The production design is really the film's prime asset, giving it a certain charm which fades away as the story gets embroiled in its own mess. What's more, the sound design is often awful, the dubbing is bad and sometimes the line delivery does not sound genuine (a complete mismatch between picture and sound).

The dynamic between the two leads, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao, is like that of Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan in Kal Ho Naa Ho, but less credible. Khurrana does well at first but then is turned all of a sudden into this suffering lover. One moment he was able to make the nerd do as he'd command, and the next he's helpless and can't stop him from stealing the woman he loves. I just couldn't understand his motives at all, particularly why he never told the girl that he wrote the book and why he didn't fight when time was due.

Rao is better - okay, the alternation between the two personalities is not very credible, he overdoes the two of them quite a bit, both the goofy, awkward and the seemingly over-confident bit. That said, he is still good within the comic context of the film and is likable all through. Kriti Sanon is the one most deceived by the film, initially being its main protagonist and ending up becoming a sort of object with no character. The ones who shine are the parents, particularly Seema Pahwa, who is wonderful as the mother. Nice film overall, but nothing great.

Best Bollywood Movie of this year till Date!

[maulin5 · 9/10 · 30 August 2017]

It is the best Bollywood film of this year till date. It has everything which a film should have with it! Ayushman Khurrana and Rajkumar Rao's chemistry is the highest plus point of this beautifully made sweet and logical rom-com. Kriti is doing good here. The voice over by Javed Akhtar gives the film uniqueness. The dialogues are very subtle. And which makes this film re-watchable for many times. It is already going good at the box office, but whenever it will come to TV, the TRPs will going to be high always. Ashwini had made 2 fantastic films- Nil Battey Sannata and this one. So, she is entering in my favorite director's list. Kudos to the makers for the sweetest film.

As Sweet As It's Title.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 21 August 2017]

BAREILLY KI BARFI REVIEW : I underestimated the film from it's Promos and songs but it turned out to be the Most Entertaining Bollywood film of the year so far, so i decided to write a review as an Redemption.

Film's plot might irritate you at the beginning but when it picks up it doesn't lose the grip the magic till the end. Kriti Sanon's Most Confident performance till date. Ayushman doesn't lose the barring for a moment. Rajkumar Rao arrives late but overtakes everyone in the film. Supporting Starcast is Good, but not so great. Music is Average but timing of Songs is Perfect so songs doesn't work as loo breaks. Screenplay is Tight and crispy. It has enough twists and all the ingredients which an Desi entertaining film should have. Dialogues are Excellent, you will laugh hard at some and remember some of them even after finishing the film. Direction is Freaking awesome, never expected this much from Ashwiny Tiwari and she surprised me here. Only that typical predictable Happy ending looks forceful and disturbing.

Overall Bareilly Ki Barfi is a Hilarious Entertainer and as Sweet as it's title. An typical Indian audience should taste it once. Go for it, if you're not expecting much then you'll be surprised just like me. 6/10* stars by me.

Chirag is a selfish bully.

[sarah_cool009 · 3/10 · 18 June 2019]

For me, I was actually enjoying the movie. But not the ending... I liked the main actor's character at first, looked and acted very decent until the character unravels. He is only decent around the girl but his heart is not. I do not think he deserve to be with the girl. I mean the last scene was so cringe when Chirag was happy and telling Pritam that Pritam taunted Chirag so much (basically like a week I bet!)...and they both laughed as it was so hilarious or something (and we forget that Chirag bullied Pritam for 5 years or so..lol)

**they were not even friends, movie narrator even said 'mu bola dost'

Chirag also said he learned his lessons (as being a selfless human) because he wants the girl (Bitti) to be happy. So, he would let her marry Pritam. Well, same thing happened with his first love? He lets her marry off with another guy.. he was crying and all. So, what did he learn that time then?

Also about Pritam's life. All the mental and physical abuse Chirag did. No one is going to talk about it? Felt so bad for the poor guy.

**Lastly they become friends for real? sure :3

(Just shared my personal opinion, I watched this movie lightly, sorry, that my comment isn't light enough)

peace

delicacy which needs to be relished

[beevenkat · 8/10 · 15 October 2018]

#BareillyKiBarfi is a simple delicacy which needs to be relished by family audiences. Excellent performances by the entire cast. Senior actors Bhargava n Tripathi, as the heroine's parents, r very natural. Sanon as Bitti, is endearing. She will ensure that u fall in love with her tomboyish actions. Khurrana, as the selfish n silent lover, is good. But it is Rajkummar Rao, who is in top form n deserves an extra star. The entire script is amusing n absorbing but, I personally, do not approve of the climax wherein the selfish guy gets the girl. Rating 4/5.

This barfi is sweet and addictive!

[thirdvantagepoint · 8/10 · 17 September 2017]

#AshwiniIyerTiwari - Thank you for taking us back to good old feel-good origins of Basu Chatterjee and Sai Paranjape, and getting inspired by the likes of 'Chhoti si Baat', 'Baaton baaton me' and 'Katha' !! #BareillyKiBarfi is a similar gharana of film-making where simple stories about simple people are told simply, punched in with clean humor and wittiest of dialogues, where the characters feel real with multiple shades of grey, where we all know what the end will be but the journey to that end is as charming and endearing as its characters! Through Chirag Dubey, Pritam Vidrohi and Bitti Mishra, one finds great mix and match of Katha's Rajaram, Sandhya and Bashudev; with Chhoti si Baat's Arun, Prabha and Nagesh; its the same nostalgia of crooked sweetness.. While the Rosie Parreira of Baaton Baaton Mein finds her bosom sister in Sushila Mishra of Bareilly! And the lovely sweet bond between Mishra'ji and his Bitti is right made out of the dad's Lovela Sweets!

There is some very good writing going on here by Nitesh Tiwari to deliver some of the best dialogues of the year with some brilliant scenes, and extremely well cast crew all of whom are in top form and do full justice to the well written characters - yes including Kriti Sanon! Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa are extremely adorable as Bitti's worried parents in their own ways, and their daughter Bitti finds her flight through a very balanced performance by Kriti! Yes, she does not give you a chance to think how a Parineeti or an Alia would have delivered this Bitti! But the real pillars of the movie are - the ever charming but the first time ever 'neech' and scheming Ayushman Khurana, and the seamless dual punch Rajkumar Rao who by the way 'character pakad ke chal rahe the'! These guys are indeed the effortless Amol Palekar and Farookh Sheikh of today with the modern day twist, who get every accent, every emotion, and every expression right just through their speaking eyes!

Technically - in addition to the great writing, the production design gets it fully right, the music is catchy (although a couple of songs do appear stretch), and the screenplay could have been a shade tighter especially in the second half.. But superb performances from the entire ensemble keep the story moving thru a very enjoyable ride.. It was great to see a houseful screen for a film with no big cast.. surely the movie is gaining from some good word of mouth publicity, more power to such well made cinema!

Ashwini - you should have actually named the film - Bareilly ki Jalebi! For sure, its as juicy, sweet and addictive as the twisted delicacy!

Bollywood entertainment

[Jithindurden · 7/10 · 19 January 2018]

Bareilly Ki Barfi has a storyline that is not very fresh in Indian cinema but the script and performances along with a portrayal of smalltown culture through sweets are more than enough to rise above its flaws. More than all that the film has a charm that can only be found in Bollywood when its done right. Kriti Sanon and Ayushmann Khurrana effortlesly pulled off their roles and Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi seems to be making every film they are into a better experience. Bareilly Ki Barfi is a romantic comedy that is pure Bollywood entertainment.

A quirky rom-com that proves the 'Laws of Murphy'

[abhijeetsharma92 · 9/10 · 30 August 2017]

Bareilly Ki Barfi is a career-defining move for Kirti Sanon who plays the protagonist Bitti Mishra here. She is this really cool 'tomgirl' every boy would want to hangout with. But things go tizzy when no boy coming with a marriage proposal seems to approve of her rowdy ways. One thing leads to another and she finally finds one of her kind in the author of the book Bareilly Ki Barfi. Things turn funny when she sets out to find the author of the book (Rajkumar Rao) taking help from its publisher, Chirag Dubey (Ayushmaan Khurana). What follows is a tale of mistaken identities, competition in love and a whole lot of rangbaazi. The movie is one of those team efforts where each and every actor gives a memorable performance although it is senior actors Sanjay Tripathi and Seema Pahwa who steal the show here. Even the young guns, Kirti Sanon (who was born to play Bitti Mishra), Ayushmaan Khurana (who gives a very subtle performances, often wandering into the grey area) and Rajkumar Rao (he totally takes over the second-half) form a great team. The actor who plays Ayushmaan's friend is seriously funny. Coming from the husband-wife duo of Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Writer Nitesh Tiwari, Bareilly Ki Barfi was such a necessary movie with its old world charm and laidback characters. Her seamless direction and his one-liner U.P friendly dialogues make sure you have keep laughing long after the credits have rolled. A lovely piece of cinema that amalgamates the good old way of storytelling with modern day characters

Rajkumar Rao is the star of this film.

[i_odin · 7/10 · 5 February 2019]

Bareilly ki Barfi is a quintessential Bollywood RomCom. Though the screenplay is not something new but has been crafted very well via some exceptional dialogues. Though it doesn't work perfectly all the time. When the film primarily focused on Sanon's part early in the film, the film did look a bit quirky. And to some extent even Khurrana couldn't change this much, with his presence. It is finally when Rajkumar Rao enters, the film starts shedding away some of its artifice which it was carrying. And here is the difference between a good actor and an excellent actor. While others made it look so hard to be believable playing small town people, Rao did it with an strange and satisfying ease. Though I wish Pankaj Tripathi had more to do in this film, but he shines no matter what. Though the film packs up endless flaws and sometimes it even tries to be pretentious, still it is a pretty good watch.

Pleasure to watch

[saad-baig-744-647402 · 8/10 · 27 August 2018]

Brilliant movie...worth your time and pleasure watching.

Watch b4 anybody spoils it for u!

[MuviFan73 · 6/10 · 22 August 2017]

Writer Nitesh Tiwari and the cast containing actors that act in serious cinema, along with the presented trailer, is what tempted me to go for this movie. I just had hopes that movie won't turn me down and I am happy that is what happened. What I was expecting from the trailer is 'Bareilly ki Barfi' was some kind of matrimonial account which finds her exact half. The story turned out something else that is even more beautiful. Therefore my hopes were fulfilled.

Acting by everybody, even the ones not in main lead is good.

Music was above average.

I would say it as a good watch, worth your penny

New India

[gautam-moharil · 9/10 · 7 October 2018]

A romantic comedy set in small town in India. The film has good pacing, good songs and an excellent screenplay. The performances are competent but barring Rajkumar Rao not great.

This film is much more than just a romcom. This is a picture of new India where girls are confident and know what they want and get it. Fathers and daughters are open with each other. A girl has choices and they are respected.

In the Hindi film industry there is no #metoo movement or bachdel tests to be fulfilled. But probably the industry does not need them. The writers, producers and directors are responsible enough to send across the right messages.

Well paced okay rom-com

[rajdoctor · 6/10 · 18 November 2017]

When this movie was released I wasn't expecting much from this film. Though there are positive reviews of this movie, but the first review I read was negative. When the film crossed its budget of INR 200 million and made marginal profit in India but crossed INR 500 million worldwide, I thought of giving it a go. The movie is based on a German author Nicolas Barreau's 2010 novel "The ingredients of love" which was not considered a great novel though a best-seller with a poor translation in English. The movie also has reminisces of eighties bollywood movie Saajan. The Director Ashwiny Iyer-Tiwari who started her career as a consultant to her husband's Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal fame) first movie Chillar party, subsequently made her debut with critically appreciated Nil Battey Sanatta. This triangular LOVE story is based in a small town of Bairelly in northern India narrated by lyricist Javed Akhtar. Bitti (Kriti Sanon) is a free spirited girl who finds the main protagonist of a novel Bareilly ki Barfi identifiable to her. The novel though written by Chirag Dubey (Ayushman Khuarana) a printing press owner is published under the name of his friend Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkumar Rao). Bitti wants to meet the author and seeks Chirag's help - who in turn pursues Pritam – a saree salesperson to pretend to be the author who wrote the novel. Chirag loves Bitti, and Bitti loves Vidrohi – the author, But Chirag is the real author of the novel. With many twists and turns, the triangular LOVE story finally ends on a predictable note. I should say that I liked the movie. It was light hearted and well paced. The narrative remains ahead of the nuances of falling into the traps of a routines triangular love story. All the characters are well crafted and have some depth. Kriti, Ayushman and Rajkumar have acted well. The side characters too have got a decent role. There are moments of mild smiles and laughter. Kriti carries the role well – there was a great chance of her to run over-board, but every time we feel she will overact this bit – she keeps it limited. The direction is good. The music is a bit of let-down with no humming tracks. If one does not have anything to do – seeing this movie would not harm much. It is a time pass light hearted movie. It is so surprising that this movie got extreme reviews – those who liked it rave about it – those who did not like it – crap about it. I would go with 6.5 out of 10

If you love a bullying, toxic lead male figure and a wannabe strong female chandelier, this is it

[pooja-ghosh-me · 4/10 · 30 September 2019]

It started off well with a strong premise and ultimately just fell into the trap of a narcissistic violent male lead who just lies, threatens and bullies this scapegoat along with an equally cowardly and forgettable sidekick. All to get a girl. Of course he doesn't tell her a word cause he lacks the guts to and finds it easier to lie, cheat and threaten than actually communicate. Nothing changes at the end, though. That's the lead hero on which we're supposed to swoon. The girl starts out as someone irritated on being asked about her virginity but at the same time is more than ready to settle for anyone. Her character is stuck in the first scene and doesn't develop into anything at any point in the film. If anything she becomes more and more a placeholder. She hardly does anything commendable the whole film nor do we ever find out what she's all about. Not just a forgettable movie but annoying. No depth, enabling violence and poor character sketches.

One of the BEST comedy watch

[badar210 · 8/10 · 14 August 2018]

First half is very well scripted, directed and acted. Ayushman Khurana, Rohit Choudhary, Rakjummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Swati Semwal, and kirti have played there parts well. But the film's main stay is its plot, script, dialogues and outstanding acting by Rajkummar Rao and Ayushman Khurana.

A simple story that achieves its goal

[ronakkotian · 8/10 · 3 July 2019]

Bareilly Ki Barfi is a film we've seen in many formats but its witty dialogues, humourous moments and strong performances make it different from the rest.

The script by Nitesh Tiwari and Shreyas Jain is strikingly clever and funny at many points throughout the film to keep the entertainment going. They take their time in fleshing out the characters completely and bringing a sense of realism to them as well as the town of Bareilly. Accompanied with Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's direction, they are able to achieve this.

Kriti Sanon gives her best performance so far as Bitti Mishra. She plays her character with attitude and heart to a point where it is believable. Her chemistry with her parents (Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa) is such a joy to witness owing to her parents' contrasting views. Ayushmann Khurrana was great as Chirag Dubey as he grounds his character to not seem over the top. However, the standout performance was of Rajkummar Rao. Rao's exceptional dialogue delivery and expression provided some of the best moments of the film. Every time he was on the screen, he stole the show. Rao nailed every single aspect of his character. From his accent, expressions and body language, Rao didn't fail to grasp the viewer's attention.

The cinematography was great and fully transported me to the town of Bareilly. The main problem for me was the story. It was a story we've seen play out many times and I felt it was quite predictable. Despite this, the film is very enjoyable and entertaining as a result of the powerful performances by the entire cast, excellent screenplay and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's direction.