Anurag Basu wrote and directed the 2012 Bollywood Hindi-language comedy-drama Barfi!, which was produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur underneath the banner of UTV Motion Pictures. The narrative of Murphy “Barfi” Johnson (a deaf-mute child from Darjeeling) as well as his connections with two women, Shruti and Jhilmil, is set inside the 1970s (who is autistic). Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D’Cruz star in the movie, which also has Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jisshu Sengupta, and Roopa Ganguly in supporting parts.
Barfi! debuted internationally on September 14, 2012, with a budget of over 30 crores. The movie received thirteen nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards, comprising Best Actress for Chopra as well as Best Supporting Actress for D’Cruz, and seven awards, comprising Best Movie, Best Actor for Kapoor, Best Female Debut for D’Cruz, as well as Best Music Director for Pritam.
Murphy “Barfi” Johnson is an upbeat, streetwise, and personable young guy who was born deaf and mute in Darjeeling to a Nepali couple. Jung Bahadur’s mother died while he was a baby, and he has been reared by himself while working as a driver. Barfi is a troublemaker who has been known to slash lampposts, play practical jokes on innocent people, and is pursued by Sudhanshu Dutta (Saurabh Shukla), a local cop.
Barfi meets Shruti Ghosh (Ileana D’Cruz), a beautiful and well-educated young woman who has recently arrived in Darjeeling; she is engaged to Ranjeet Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta) and is due to marry in three months, and Barfi is immediately taken with Shruti’s heavenly beauty and charm, eventually falling in love with her. She has feelings for Barfi as well, but her mother discourages her from pursuing him because he would be unable to care for her due to his infirmities and lack of financial resources. Shruti follows her mother’s advice, marries, and relocates to Kolkata, cutting off all ties with Barfi.
Meanwhile, Bahadur becomes ill, as well as he must find a way to pay for his care. He tries to abduct Jhilmil Chatterjee (Priyanka Chopra), Barfi’s autistic childhood friend and affluent heiress to her grandfather’s money, for a ransom after a failed, though amusing, effort to rob a local bank. When Barfi arrives, she discovers she has already been taken. He spots her in a vehicle and sneaks inside, luring Jhilmil away from the ransom delivery. With the cops on his tail, he conceals her in his flat. Barfi collects the money, only to discover that Bahadur has passed away just as he is about to pay it.
Dejected, Barfi tries to abandon Jhilmil in her caretaker’s hamlet, but she refuses, and they soon go to Kolkata, where Barfi bears responsibility for Jhilmil and looks after her.
Barfi and Shruti meet by happenstance six years later. Shruti is dissatisfied with her marriage, so she and he revive their acquaintance, much to the dismay of Jhilmil, who then vanishes. Jhilmil’s whereabouts are reported by Shruti. When the Darjeeling police receive word of the report, they restart their search for Barfi and apprehend him.
Another ransom demand for Jhilmil is made while he is being interrogated, and she is reportedly killed in the course of the exchange, though her body is never located. The police attempt to blame him for Jhilmil’s murder in order to close the investigation. Sudhanshu, who has become fond of Barfi after probing him for his annoyances, requests that Shruti take him away, giving him a second shot at life. She agrees and thinks that now that Jhilmil is gone, she would be able to spend more time with Barfi.
Jhilmil’s death has left Barfi devastated, and she is unable to live in peace without her. He locates Jhilmil’s childhood house and sends Shruti to search for her. They discover that Jhilmil is still alive and that her father staged both kidnappings in order to steal money from Jhilmil’s trust fund. They staged her death for the second time so she could return to her special-care home and away from her drunken mother. Barfi and Jhilmil have a happy reunion and marry, whilst Shruti lives the rest of her days affluent but alone, having missed her chance to be with Barfi.
Several years later, Barfi is discovered in a hospital, critically ill and on the verge of death. As an elderly Shruti recalls, Jhilmil arrives and sleeps beside him in his hospital bed, the two of them spend Barfi’s final moments together, not wanting to leave each other behind in life or death. As the titles roll, the movie concludes with Barfi and Jhilmil in their happy days.
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