Barfi! is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film created by Anurag Basu, who also directed it. The film was produced by Ronnie Screwvala for UTV Motion Pictures. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz, who made her debut in a Hindi film. Supporting characters include Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jisshu Sengupta, Roopa Ganguly, and Haradhan Bandopadhyay. The story takes place in Darjeeling and Kolkata during the 1970s. It follows Barfi (played by Kapoor), a young man who is deaf and mute, and his relationships with Shruti (D'Cruz) and Jhilmil (Chopra), a girl with autism.

The film was made with a budget of ₹35 crore and released on September 14, 2012. Critics praised the acting, direction, writing, photography, music, and the way the film portrayed people with physical disabilities. It was a major box office success, becoming one of the most popular films of 2012 in India and abroad, earning ₹175 crore worldwide. Since its release, Barfi! has been remembered for its unique story, music, acting, and positive message.

The film was chosen as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 85th Academy Awards. It received many awards and nominations in India. At the 58th Filmfare Awards, Barfi! was nominated for 12 categories, including Best Director (Basu), Best Actress (Chopra), and Best Supporting Actress (D'Cruz). It won 7 awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Female Debut (D'Cruz), and Best Music Director (Pritam).

Plot

Murphy, also known as Barfi, is a hopeful, clever, and friendly young man who was born deaf and mute in Darjeeling. His mother passed away after giving birth to him. His father, Jungbahadur, raised him alone while working as a driver. Barfi is known for causing trouble; he damages lampposts, plays jokes, and is chased by Inspector Sudhanshu Dutta, a local police officer. Barfi meets Shruti Ghosh, a kind, well-educated young woman who has recently arrived in Darjeeling. Shruti is engaged to Ranjeet Sengupta and is set to marry him in three months. However, Barfi becomes deeply interested in Shruti. Shruti also feels a connection to Barfi, but her mother convinces her not to pursue a relationship with him because of his disabilities and lack of financial stability. Shruti reluctantly agrees, marries Ranjeet, and leaves Darjeeling, cutting off contact with Barfi.

At the same time, Barfi’s father develops kidney failure, and Barfi must find a way to raise ₹7,000 for his father’s surgery. After failing to rob a bank, Barfi considers kidnapping Jhilmil Chatterjee, his autistic childhood friend and the wealthy heir to her grandfather’s fortune, to get money. When Barfi arrives, he learns that Jhilmil has already been kidnapped. Her father, Durjoy Chatterjee, reports the crime and agrees to pay ₹50,000 as ransom. Barfi, who is being chased by Inspector Dutta for the bank robbery, sees Jhilmil in a van and sneaks inside to rescue her. He hides her in his apartment while the police search for him. Barfi writes a new ransom note for ₹7,000 and collects the money from Jhilmil’s father, but discovers that Durjoy has died before the hospital payment is made. Heartbroken, Barfi tries to leave Jhilmil with her caretaker in a village, but she refuses to leave him. The two move to Kolkata, where Barfi takes care of Jhilmil.

Six years later, Barfi and Shruti meet again in Kolkata. Shruti is unhappy with her marriage to Ranjeet and reconnects with Barfi, which upsets Jhilmil, who then goes missing. Shruti reports Jhilmil missing, and Inspector Dutta and the Darjeeling police resume their search for Barfi, arresting him. Shruti works to help Barfi, but Ranjeet abandons her. During interrogation, a new ransom note for Jhilmil is received, and she appears to be killed during the exchange, though her body is never found. Inspector Dutta is puzzled because Jhilmil’s father received a ransom note in Darjeeling, even though Jhilmil had lived in Kolkata for six years. To close the case, the police plan to accuse Barfi of Jhilmil’s murder. However, Inspector Dutta, who grew to respect Barfi, asks Shruti to take him away, giving him a second chance. Shruti agrees, hoping that Jhilmil’s death will allow her to be with Barfi.

Barfi is deeply saddened by Jhilmil’s loss and feels unfulfilled living with Shruti. He eventually finds the location of Jhilmil’s childhood home using notes she left behind. He takes Shruti to the place, and they discover that Jhilmil is still alive. Both kidnappings were staged by Jhilmil’s father to steal money from her trust fund. In the second attempt, Jhilmil’s caretakers and her father faked her death to return her to a special-care home, away from her alcoholic mother. In exchange, Jhilmil’s father gained control of the trust fund left by her late grandfather. Barfi reunites with Jhilmil, and the two marry. Shruti spends the rest of her life alone, regretting her lost chance with Barfi but happy for Barfi and Jhilmil’s reunion.

In the present day, Barfi is seriously ill in a hospital and near death. Jhilmil arrives and lies with him in his bed as Shruti recounts that they died peacefully together, choosing not to leave each other in life or death. The film ends with the final moments of Barfi and Jhilmil as the credits roll.

Cast

• Ranbir Kapoor plays Murphy, also known as Barfi, a young man who is born deaf and mute. He lives in Darjeeling with his parents and is known for being hopeful, clever, and friendly.
• Priyanka Chopra plays Jhilmil Chatterjee.
• Ileana D'Cruz plays Shruti Ghosh Sengupta.
• Saurabh Shukla plays Inspector Sudhanshu Dutta.
• Ashish Vidyarthi plays Durjoy Chatterjee, who is Jhilmil's father.
• Sumona Chakravarti plays Piyali, who is Shruti's friend.
• Jisshu Sengupta plays Ranjeet Sengupta, who becomes Shruti's husband after being engaged to her.
• Roopa Ganguly plays Mrs. Ghosh, who is Shruti's mother.
• Uday Tikekar plays Mr. Ghosh, who is Shruti's father.
• Haradhan Bandopadhyay plays Daju, who is the owner of a special care home where Jhilmil lives.
• Arun Bali plays Nanaji, who is Jhilmil's maternal grandfather.
• Preeti Mamgain plays Mrs. Chatterjee, who is Jhilmil's mother.
• Akash Khurana plays Jungbahadur Chhetri, who is Barfi's father.
• Kenneth Desai plays a Senior Inspector.
• Rajeev Mishra plays an assistant to Inspector Dutta.
• Bholaraj Sapkota plays Bhola, who is Barfi's friend.
• Sujata Sehgal plays Ms. D'Souza, who is one of the first members to help start Jhilmil's special care home.

Production

The director tried to tell the story in a simple, straight order. However, this approach did not work well. The story of Barfi! is simple, and if the director had kept the story in a straight order, the audience might not have enjoyed it. The director believed that using a non-linear story, which jumps between different times, helped the film feel more interesting. He explained that Indian viewers sometimes find non-linear stories confusing, but he felt this structure was necessary to show how the characters' love developed over 30 years, set in the 1970s.

During the making of his earlier film Kites (2010), director Anurag Basu wrote a short story that later became the script for Barfi!. The script alternated between two time periods, keeping the non-linear structure. Basu explained that the story needed to span 30 years to show the characters' growing love, so the film's setting was the 1970s.

In June 2010, Basu confirmed that the film would feature three main characters: a deaf-mute man, a mentally challenged girl, and a narrator. Earlier reports suggested the story might be serious or dark, but Basu stated the film was meant to be joyful. He said the film honored silent cinema legends like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin by including scenes with physical comedy and silent moments.

In March 2010, it was reported that Ranbir Kapoor and Asin Thottumkal were cast in the film before being replaced by Katrina Kaif, who was initially named Khamoshi and later Silence. Basu confirmed this change.

Basu wanted Asin Thottumkal to play Jhilmil, an autistic girl. His wife, Tani, suggested Priyanka Chopra for the role. However, Basu worried that audiences might focus on Chopra’s fame instead of the character. He said, “I feared people would see Priyanka Chopra, not Jhilmil.” After a three-day workshop, Basu decided Chopra was the right choice and did not consider other actresses for the role.

After Chopra was cast, Kaif left the project for unknown reasons. Media suggested she may have left because Chopra’s role was more prominent. Asin Thottumkal was later asked to rejoin as the narrator but declined due to scheduling conflicts. Other actresses also refused the role, believing Chopra’s part was stronger. In July 2010, Chopra offered to play the narrator so another actress could be cast. Basu confirmed this, saying, “We couldn’t cast the other part.” After casting challenges, Basu chose Ileana D’Cruz, a Telugu film actress, for the second female lead, who played the narrator and Kapoor’s love interest, marking her Bollywood debut.

Kapoor played the role of a deaf and mute man. He said he drew inspiration from actors like Roberto Benigni, Charlie Chaplin, and his grandfather Raj Kapoor. Basu avoided using sign language, instead focusing on the character’s behavior. Kapoor described his character as cheerful and kind.

Chopra played Jhilmil, a role Basu called the “toughest” in the film. To prepare, Chopra visited mental institutions and spent time with autistic people. She said she had to overcome her usual persona as a Bollywood star to fully embody Jhilmil. She explained that it took two moments to fully become the character because her thoughts and behavior differed from Jhilmil’s.

D’Cruz, who played the narrator and the protagonist’s first love interest, said, “Shruti is a sensitive role to play as she goes through different phases in the film.”

Basu said Saurabh Shukla’s role as Inspector Dutta was the most important after Kapoor, Chopra, and D’Cruz. He described the character as “amazing,” noting how he makes others cry when he laughs.

Principal photography began in March 2011. Barfi! was filmed from June 2011 to February 2012, mostly in Darjeeling. In March 2011, Basu finalized locations in Kolkata. Filming in Mumbai started on March 20, 2011, and ended in May 2011. In June 2011, the cast and crew shot scenes in Darjeeling. In December 2011, some scenes were filmed near Coimbatore, including Pollachi and Ooty. Scenes where Kapoor’s character was chased by police on rooftops were shot in Kolkata in January 2012. Filming ended in April 2012, except for some scenes with Chopra. The release date was postponed from July 13 to August 31, 2012, due to a canceled September 2011 schedule. Basu began working on D’Cruz’s Hindi dubbing by late April 2012, as D’Cruz was learning the language during filming.

Soundtrack

The music and background score of the film was created by Pritam. The lyrics were written by Swanand Kirkire, Ashish Pandit, Neelesh Misra, and Sayeed Quadri. The soundtrack album includes six original songs, which were released on August 9, 2012. The music was inspired by Brazilian Bossa nova. Priyanka Chopra was originally planned to sing a song for the film, but her agreement with Universal Music stopped her from accepting the role. The album also features a song called "Fatafati," performed by Pritam Chakraborty, Arijit Singh, and Nakash Aziz. This song was not included in the film but was shared as a promotional single on YouTube on September 10, 2012. The video includes behind-the-scenes footage, and Ranbir Kapoor provided additional vocals. The song also contains Bengali lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Marketing and release

The official trailer for the film was released on July 2, 2012, and included all the actors. It had no dialogue and used gestures and actions to show comedy. Critics and audiences liked it. Priyanka Chopra's character was not shown clearly in the trailers because the filmmakers wanted to keep her a mystery to build interest. Her character was only revealed when the film was released. Shikha Kapur, the marketing executive director at UTV, said, "Priyanka plays a special role in Barfi, so we want to keep her character a secret. In the first trailer, Ranbir Kapoor's character, Barfi, is introduced. We will not show Priyanka until the film comes out."

UTV Motion Pictures made a YouTube app called The Flavour of Barfi to promote the film. The app includes Ranbir Kapoor as his character from the film and lets users type actions that he performs. The app has two sections: one lets users change Barfi's mood, and the other allows users to watch him flirt. The film was promoted in many cities in India. At the Phoenix Mall in Bangalore, crowds broke through barriers during a promotion event.

A mobile video game called Barfi! The Official Movie Game was also released by UTV Indiagames.

Barfi! was released on September 14, 2012, on 1,300 screens in 700 theaters across India. Reliance Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in mid-November 2012 for all regions in a one-disc pack using the NTSC format. The discs included bonus content, such as behind-the-scenes footage, "Fatafati – Behind The Scenes," and deleted scenes. A Video CD version was also released at the same time. Zee Network and UTV Movies bought the rights to broadcast the film. The deal includes premiere rights for the film and other UTV productions. The rights last for seven years, with Zee Network having multiple showings and UTV Movies having selected showings. The cost of the deal was not shared by the production company. The film is also available on Netflix. It was free to watch on JioHotstar on July 19, 2025.

In Japan, the film was released in August 2014. It was shown on ten screens in six cities: Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

Controversies

On September 12, 2012, Murphy Radio, a British company, said that the "Murphy baby" logo from its 1970s print advertisements was used in the movie Barfi! without permission. The film's producer, Siddharth Roy Kapur, stated that he received a legal notice from Murphy Radio. He explained that the use of the brand was not intentional and that the brand was shown in a "very positive light" in the film.

After Barfi! was released, several blogs and social media users on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accused the director of copying other works without proper credit. Media reports also claimed that the director, Basu, did not give credit to the original sources. Many videos were posted on YouTube showing side-by-side comparisons between Barfi! and Hollywood films such as Cops, The Adventurer, City Lights, Singin' in the Rain, Project A, The Notebook, and Benny & Joon. Some users also accused the film's music director, Pritam, of copying background music from the French film Amélie.

Basu defended the film, saying he was inspired by these works and that Barfi! has an original story, screenplay, characters, and situations. He claimed the film paid tribute to actors like Keaton and Chaplin. The film's selection for the Oscar category of Best Foreign Language Film was criticized due to plagiarism claims. However, Manju Borah, the head of the Oscar selection committee, defended the film, stating, "Barfi! deserves to be sent outside. The selection process was open and involved several rounds of serious discussions, resulting in the best film among the final three."

Reception

Barfi! received a lot of praise from critics when it was released. They praised the actors' performances, the direction, the story, the visual style, the music, and the way the film showed people with physical disabilities in a positive light. Zee News gave the film a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and said, "Anurag Basu's Barfi! is a perfect sweet treat for his audience. Filmmakers who have shown people with disabilities as dull or boring in their movies should learn from Barfi!" Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India gave the film a 4 out of 5 rating and said, "Kapoor gives the most challenging performance of his career and leaves viewers speechless. He does not rely on typical movie clichés, like cool catchphrases or dramatic dialogue, but still impresses in every scene. For Chopra, the word is BRAVO! She delivers an incredible performance, even though her role requires her to show very little emotion."

Roshni Devi of Koimoi said, "Barfi! leaves viewers with a warm, magical feeling and a few tears. It's definitely worth watching" and gave it a score of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi! feels like a fresh breeze. Its greatest success is making viewers feel happy!" Indo-Asian News Service gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi! is close to being a modern masterpiece. Missing it would be a mistake. Embracing it is like celebrating something beautiful." Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis rated the film 4 out of 5 and said the movie "connects with viewers on a personal level" and added, "Barfi! cannot be missed. It requires patience, but the reward is amazing."

Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph said, "The brilliance of Barfi! is that it has no story but tells a story perfectly. It shows a director at the top of his game bringing together talented people in a powerful way. Only someone who has faced death can create life in such a way." Filmfare gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi! is a rare film that can make you smile and cry in the same scene. Its technical quality is matched only by its emotional depth. Pritam's music adds a charming, old-fashioned feel to the story, making it hard to put into words." Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Barfi! is well-written with an interesting back-and-forth story, but it falls apart near the end."

Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said, "This film was made with love, with wonderful scenes, Kapoor and Chopra's amazing performances, and a beautiful soundtrack by Pritam. However, for me, Barfi! was frustrating because it never became more than the sum of its parts." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said, "Barfi! had the potential to be great, but it is still a respectable film that is better than many others." Namrata Joshi of Outlook said, "The story-within-a-story structure becomes too messy and slow, the thriller twist is unnecessary, and the film feels overly planned and fake."

The film also received a lot of praise from critics outside India. On Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 14 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10. Rachel Saltz of The New York Times said, "Bollywood isn't afraid to be emotional. Barfi! is sometimes emotional, but not more than most Hindi movies, even though it has a special love story with a lesson to teach." Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a refreshingly non-commercial exercise" and added, "a touching Bollywood romantic comedy." She said, "Basu helped Kapoor and Chopra give very natural, believable performances." Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote, "Unlike Michel Hazanavicus's black-and-white silent movie 'The Artist,' Basu's film is full of sound and color; only the hearing-impaired Basu is left in silence." Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times was more critical, even though he praised parts like "the hard-working cast, a beautiful score, exotic locations, and moments of warmth," and called it "more of a test of patience than entertainment."

Barfi! received many awards and nominations for the film itself, its direction, story, visuals, music, and the actors' performances. The film was chosen as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards. It received 13 nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards and won 7 awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Female Debut (D'Cruz), and Best Music Director (Pritam). Barfi! received 23 nominations at the 19th Screen Awards and won 9, including Best Director (Basu), Best Actor (Kapoor), and Jodi No. 1 (Kapoor and Chopra). At the 14th Zee Cine Awards, Barfi! received 9 nominations and won 8 awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Basu), and Best Actress (Chopra).

When it was released, Barfi! had strong showings at multiplexes in India, with about 80–90% of seats filled. However, it had lower opening earnings because it was released in only a few theaters. The film earned ₹85.6 million (US$1.0 million) on its first day. On the second day, attendance increased by about 35%, and it earned ₹115 million (US$1.4 million). During its opening weekend, the film earned ₹340 million (US$4.0 million). In its first week, Barfi! earned ₹565 million (US$6.7 million) in total, and by its eighth day, it had earned ₹32.5 million (US$380,000) despite the release of another movie, Heroine. Barfi! earned ₹150 million (US$1.8 million) in its second weekend. In its second week, the film earned ₹242 million (US$2.9 million) in total. In the third week, earnings rose to ₹158 million (US$1.9 million) in total, and it earned ₹61.5 million (US$730,000) in its fourth week. During its cinema run, Barfi! earned a total of ₹