Barfi! ke #5 saal. - Page 3

Anurag Basu's Barfi is one of Ranbir Kapoor's best performances. The movie saw Priyanka Chopraplaying an autistic character while Ileana D'Cruz as Miss Sengupta was impressive.

In the movie, Ranbir played a deaf and mute character. His performance won him several accolades and critical acclaim as well. Apart from them, it was senior actor Saurabh Shukla who added a punch to the screenplay with his exemplary performance.

As the movie completed 5 years today, we got in touch with Saurabh Shukla to discuss his most fond memories associated with the movie, experience of working with Ranbir and much more.

The senior actor was elated to narrate what it was like to be directed by Anurag Basu. He said that while he had all the plans of leaving the industry as he couldn't find substantial and good roles, Anurag offered him Barfi which he couldn't turn down. Citing that Barfi gave him his second run, the senior actor said, "In a way, Barfi gave me my second run. When Anurag came to me with the script, I asked him why? and he said that if he wasn't sure of the role, he wouldn't have come to me. Hence, this movie is very special to me."

He further revealed how the story of a mute character falling in love with an autistic character intrigued him. When asked about his favourite character from the movie, Saurabh said that though all the characters in the movie had some significance, it is Barfi whom he found the most endearing. "Ranbir played the character so well and Priyanka as Jhilmil was exceptional," Saurabh stated.

Favourite scene from the movie? To this, the senior actor complained that this is a difficult question because he likes a lot of scenes from the movie. However, his most favourite ones are where he is running to chase Barfi. He quipped that people wondered how he ran so much given his body structure. To that, Saurabh had replied, "I was so happy that Anurag made it look so believable. However, the truth is I did not really run so much, I was only running on a machine."

Further, we asked him the difference between working with Ranbir for Barfi and Jagga Jasoos. "It was more fun," he said. He further added that he is extremely proud of both the movies and that Jagga is one of the most difficult films made given that we don't have many people who attempt such things given the limited resources we have in the country.

Finally, when asked to share his experience working with Ranbir, Priyanka and Ileana, he was all praises for his co-actors. "I am a great fan of Ranbir Kapoor," he said while adding, "Someone once said that Ranbir is so good looking and he is a great actor which is unfair. Ranbir can be placed anywhere in the world, he has mastered his craft."

Talking about Priyanka, he said, "Priyanka aced the role of an autistic person. Her performance was honest and she really put in a lot of effort to get the character right. She was exceptional."

"Ileana as Miss Sengupta was one of her most honest performances," he concluded.

Anurag Basu's Barfi!, which was released on 14 September 2012, is one of the more loved films of the decade as it narrates an innocent love story between two characters with special needs, backed by beautiful music composed by Pritam Chakraborty (who won his first Filmfare award for Best Music for this film).

15 romantic anthems by Pritam Birthday special

While the film had Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra giving arguably their best performances, it also marked the Hindi film debut of Ileana D'Cruz. The actress, who had already worked in several films down South, wasn't initially sure if Barfi! would be the ideal launchpad for her.

Well, director Anurag Basu managed to convince D'Cruz to finally take on the part of Shruti, who plays the narrator of the film in parts and witnesses the love story of the deaf-mute Barfi (Kapoor) and autistic Jhilmil (Chopra) unfold.

It was once she began shooting for the film, though, that D'Cruz realized this was going to be something special. "I cried on the last day of Barfi!'s shooting," recalled the actress who was most recently seen in Baadshaho (2017) with Ajay Devgn and Emran Hashmi. "I didn't want to let go of Barfi! because it was that special a film. I didn't realize how special it was till I started filming for it. It was a film that I loved as a story."

But after the cast-and-crew screening of Barfi!, a few days before its theatrical release, D'Cruz wasn't sure if she would be received well by audiences, especially since she felt that Kapoor and Chopra's performances would overshadow hers.

Ileana D'Cruz: You will get overshadowed if you're not good

"The first time I watched it I cried like a baby. One because I was like PC and Ranbir are so awesome in it that no one's going to look at me. And two, because it was such a beautiful story. Firstly, it's my first [Hindi] film; nobody's going to look at me. And damn it, when they [Chopra and Kapoor] did this in the film, I was like nobody's going to see me. They are just going to think I am this bitch, who left [Barfi]," she confessed.

When reminded that Shruti did have a moment of redemption in the end when she helps Barfi reunite with Jhilmil even when she had the chance to walk away into the sunset with the hero, she said, "Kind of. There was a beauty about being selfless in this film.

D'Cruz added that the film will stay close to her heart. "I cried while performing every emotional scene. Barfi! is incredibly close to me. It's a film that will stay with me, I know that for sure."

The sheer innocence of Jhilmil earned a special spot in our hearts for @priyankachopra! Forever #5YearsOfBarfi

Thank you for letting me play Shruti @basuanurag #Barfi #alwaysspecial

#Throwback Frm #Barfi promotions! #RanbirKapoor , @priyankachopra on the set of jhalak.. with Dhak Dhak Girl @MadhuriDixit BARFI KE 5 SAAL

@priyankachopra may not have won many best actress awards but she definitely won our hearts as Jhilmil!!! BRAVO PC BARFI KE 5 SAAL

Barfi