debasish3011

I have some pertinent questions to ask the director regarding this movie. They are the following:

1) Why has the movie been named 'Barfi!' when Jhilmil's character is of equal importance? The movie should have been named 'Barfi aur Jhilmil' (like Bunty aur Babli), or given any name other than just 'Barfi!' It's like ignoring the female character in the movie who has a major role to play in Barfi's life.

2) Where is the chemistry between Barfi and Jhilmil? The film lacks scenes of closeness and intimacy that we usually associate with romantic love. Throughout the film, Barfi seems to TAKE CARE of Jhilmil more than love her, and Jhilmil looks absent-minded and lost in her own world. It seems Jhilmil looks upon Barfi more as a good friend than a lover. Agreed that Jhilmil is not in a state to understand what heterosexual love is, Yet a little intimacy on screen would've helped the audience to feel that Barfi and Jhilmil do have some feelings for each other that we usually associate with romantic love. But sadly, there's no romance or warmth between the lead pair.

3) Non-linear narrative is fine, but too much of it confuses the audience. 'Barfi!' shows events taking place back and forth to the point that the audience gets confused about what's happening on screen. It's difficult for the audience to understand what's happening and feel for the characters at the same time. It's just plain human psychology. Understanding and feeling can't go together.

4) Barfi is supposed to be a cute guy. In males, we define cuteness by certain standards. Ranbir Kapoor meets almost all the standards except one, and that is: HEIGHT. One might disagree with me, but it's a general rule that guys with short height (the so-called 'shortys') are considered cuter by women than tall guys. That's the reason why actors like Aamir Khan is still considered oh-so-cute by girls despite the fact that he's approaching 50. I believe Imraan Khan would have been the best actor to play the role of Barfi. Short height DOES make a guy look cuter. I don't know why but that's how it is.

5) During 1972 and 1978, the Darjeeling toy train looked different. The bogies had smaller windows. It was much later (somewhere around 1996) that larger windows were added to give passengers a better view of the landscape outside. Yet we see the train with larger windows even in '72 and '78 in the film.

6) The local cop Mr. Dutta at one time slaps Barfi at the police station. Surprisingly, we hear the sound of the slap first and see the slap falling later. Why??

7) The message 'Cigarette smoking is injurious to health' comes on screen every time Barfi smokes a cigarette. Flashing the message once or twice was enough. Too much of it is paranoid.

8) 'Kyaa tum phir Jhilmil ko wapas ley jaaoge?' The elderly Daju asks this to Mr. Chatterjee (Jhilmil's father) towards the end of the movie. But a little lipreading shows that Daju is saying something else during the '...ley jaaoge?' part of the question. Why this dubbing glitch?

9) India in 1972 never had Sintex-type water reservoirs atop buildings. Such reservoirs came much later, during the mid-eighties. Yet we see six such tanks in 1972 Darjeeling atop Keventer's Restaurant where Shruti walks in with her friend. Why this glitch? In this age of computer graphics, those reservoirs could have been erased easily from the scene, had the director been a little mindful of the fact that he was mistakenly capturing modern-day water tanks in one of his shots.

Parinda has always been my favorite because it was one of the first movies to break the stereotypical formula-based film making trend in India that relied heavily on larger-than-life heroes (and villains) and impossible fight sequences that defied both gravity and logic. Parinda was a breath of fresh air amid all this chaos. It showed the Mumbai(Bombay) underworld as it had never been shown before. The movie begins with a superb background score reminiscent of The Terminator theme. As one listens to the sombre yet striking music with visuals/shots of Mumbai high rises under a grey evening sky, one realizes it's going to be a dark and no-nonsense film. And who can forget Kishen's (Jackie Shroff's) entry as he walks up that huge tank to meet rival gang-leader Moosa? I always wished the scene was a little longer. If Tom Alter did full justice to the role of Moosa, the role of Anna seemed to have been written for (and only for)the immensely talented Nana Patekar. The cinematography of the film leaves all other films of its time way behind (with the exception of 'Raakh', another dark and gritty film released around the same time). Jackie Shroff's acting is simply fabulous, whereas Anil Kapoor is, well, loud as usual! I wish he had shaved off his mustache to fit the role of the younger brother better. Suresh Oberoi as the goon gives a superlative performance - one of the best in his career. In short, Parinda marks the beginning of realistic mainstream cinema in India. Indian art-house cinema had always been realistic, but mainstream commercial cinema used to be just escapist fares until Parinda happened.

Joshilaay is a movie with a Western feel, complete with trigger-happy bandits, smokin' pistols and gunfire and a plot that borrows heavily from John Wayne-Clint Eastwood movies. But before you sit to watch it, be prepared for some annoyingly loud background music that'll pierce your ears during the climactic scenes. However, considering that the film was released way back in 1989, most of its melodramatic excesses are somewhat forgivable. After all you just can't ignore a movie like Joshilaay (and many others such as Khote Sikkey, Kala Sona, Chunaoti, Jagir etc). These movies gave Indian audience the typical 'desi' mix of Bollywood and Western flicks. Joshilaay on its part is particularly memorable for its cinematography, scenes shot in the arid landscapes of Ladakh, the composed acting of Anil Kapoor (usually known for his loud acting) and of course the dreaded bandit JOGI THAKUR. The actor who played the role deserves to be placed in the same ranks as the late Amjad Khan or Amrish Puri. It's rather sad that we remember Gabbar Singh, Mogambo and Mola Ram, but if someone asks 'Remember Jogi Thakur?' the curt response would be "Jogi who?" Overall, Joshilaay is an underrated film that deserves recognition from today's viewers. But let me also warn you... the movie prints are in bad condition. Sometimes the screen turns dark during daytime scenes and you might think there's a solar eclipse going on every now and then. No proper restoration was done for the prints and it's evident that the director himself lost interest in restoring the film maybe because it was a massive flop upon release. Whatever, the solar eclipse phenomenon is in some way countered by Sridevi's flashing jewelry. As you watch Sridevi you seriously wonder how a poor Banjaran girl whose father runs a small traveling theater troupe can afford such expensive jewelry. As for the songs in the film, the only memorable one is the title song sung with amazing manliness by the late Kishore Kumar. The other three songs in the film are too loud, absurd and unnecessary.