Cast: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa
Rating: 3.5/5
A love triangle in Bollywood is a popular concept. There is love, but there is pain too and both these situations are quite relatable, somehow convincingly liked in a lot of films, by the audience. But somehow, with time, filmmakers these days haven’t been successful enough in changing the love triangle formula or presenting something new. Serving the same, but with some likable sweetness is Bareilly Ki Barfi.
The film opens with Javed Akhtar’s narration and the laughter riot beings as he introduces us to the Mishra family. Mr. and Mrs. Mishra (played by Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa) are worried about their daughter, Bitti Mishra (Kriti Sanon’s) marriage. All the potential grooms have either failed to impress Bitti or judged and disliked her for being bold and open-minded, in a small town like Bareilly. But her parents have been supportive, and hence have given her the choice to find her soul mate.
Frustrated with his groom hunt, Bitti decides to leave her house (as shown in the trailer) but stumbles upon this book named Bareilly Ki Barfi, where she comes across the character with his exactly like her – the likes of both match every bit. She decides to meet the author Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkummar Rao) once, to find out his inspiration and the idea behind the character, and in the due journey, she meets Chirag Dubey (Ayushmann Khurrana). Chirag falls in love with Bitti but is not able to confess due to her hypothetical liking for Pritam. Chirag and his friend make a plan to change Pritam, so as to change Bitti’s mind, but to their surprise, she starts liking him. This disappoints Chirag.
But what made Bitti like Pritam? How will Chirag cope with this heartbreak? Or, is there any other twist in the tale? I’d insist you watch the film for that.
One of the best elements of the film is the idea of being set in Bareilly – a small town, which has its own unique dialect and a mentality different to that of the urban/metro cities. The accent used by the actors in the film, adds charm and likeability to the dialogues. The screenplay of the film is very well-written as the film doesn’t bore you for even a minute. The music of the film is interesting, but not enough to keep humming, except for Arko’s Nazm Nazm. The actors cast and the characters written for the film deserve appreciation. The makers have tried to bring in a likable difference in the father-daughter relationship and that beautifully translates in the film.
Like mentioned before, all the actors cast for the film have nailed it. Kriti Sanon as Bitti is impressive, and she sure will be liked, for this ‘desi’ role, specifically. Ayushmann Khurrana, by now has mastered the role of being a small town boy, for he has portrayed similar roles in many films before. Rajkummar Rao shines throughout as Pritam Vidrohi. His character of a timid, humble, calm and introvert, yet a bold and brave boy is simply superb. He is an actor par excellence and makes a mark here, again.
Pankaj Tripathi as a dad is adorable and every girl would wish a father like him. But my favourite in the film is Seema Pahwa who plays the role of Susheela Mishra. Her timing, dialogue delivery, expressions and the impact she leaves with merely her screen presence is tremendous and deserves applause. She adds a lot of value to the film, with her wit and body language.
Overall, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari presentation of this desi rom-com is bound to make you laugh, as Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari has penned the story with lots of love and laughter. It would be totally worth for you to go enjoy this serving, as this barfi from Bareilly will certainly leave a lingering taste.
Share
Tweet
