Proud to say Barfi! is original: Anurag Basu

Rave reviews not with standing, there have been allegations of plagiarism levelled against Barfi! Not ones to take these lying down, director Anurag Basu and producer UTV have swung into damage control mode. Anurag defended his turf saying,"It's very difficult to make original cinema and I take a lot of pride in saying Barfi! is original.

It baffles me why people are not appreciating the original plot, screenplay, characters and situations. The other films that are contenders for the Oscars are really good films. I am very privileged to be in that group. I paid homage to the films and filmmakers that I grew up watching.

Martin Scorcese and Quentin Tarantino have done the same. Does that make them thieves? Great moments of cinema that you've watched through the years, stay with you and come out in your work. It doesn't mean you're copying anyone. Thank God The Artiste was not made by an Indian. If it had been, it would have never been nominated for the Oscar, let alone winning the award."

UTV on their part have decided to maintain silence over the charges ever since Barfi! was selected as India's entry for the Academy Awards. A close friend of Anurag told TOI "UTV has decided to completely clamp down on all responses to these charges. Anurag and the film's cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D'Cruz and even the supporting actors have been asked not to respond to the charges as that would automatically eliminate Barfi! from the Oscar short-list.

Anurag is not denying similarities with films in the past. He has paid homage to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keatan but hasn'tcopied them. Scenes similar to films that Anurag grew up watching are bound to crop up, just like Martin Scorcese's Hugo had scenes resembling moments from a 1951 British film The Magic Box and the 1923 silent film Safety Last. The Artiste which last year won the Oscar for best film was accused of being a complete rip-off."

The friend pointed out that Barfi! has travelled to festivals all over the world and still hasn't been accused of lifting scenes from past films. Besides, Anurag has maintained that Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are his sources of inspiration even before the film's release.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Proud-to-say-Barfi-is-original-Anurag-Basu/articleshow/16584961.cms

Agneepath director: Barfi! isn't copied, it's a tribute

http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-barfi-interview-with-karan-malhotra/20120928.htm

I wish the author of this article realized that it's The Artist. There's no 'e' at the end.

Originally posted by: HotMess

I wish the author of this article realized that it's The Artist. There's no 'e' at the end.

Anyways, I kind of find it weird that he's pointing fingers at other movies who did the similar thing of paying homage to older films (ie. Hugo), to justify the copying allegations. It's like a thief saying stealing isn't wrong because others do it too. 🤔

Meh, at least he's not denying that a lot of the scenes were 'inspired.'

I haven't watched the movie so I can't say. 😆

Sum1 pls shut this thief's mouth :-x

Originally posted by: khamosshhh

If one copies frm one source it's plagiarism, but if one copies from many sources it's original, a classic and a masterpiece?😕😲

Copying one is plagiarism, but copying many is research😆

This is new way of paying homage...copy frame to frame and cherish the memories😆

EDIT:Oops,the critics did find out similarities.Sorry for the wrong information.😳

^^^Maybe it shows the lack of knowledge of world cinema even among critics. I myself for example didnt find anything amiss...but many people who watch English movies instantly saw the similarities with The Notebook. But I am a mango cinema goer. Critics should have been more informed.