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Priyanka Chopra is suddenly nostalgic about Barfi; posts about ‘star’ Ranbir Kapoor, how he played a role in her casting
Priyanka Chopra reflects on her role in Barfi, highlighting the creative process and the film's success.
Priyanka Chopra is getting nostalgic this Saturday. She took to Instagram to share a post about her 2012 movie, Barfi, in which she starred with Ranbir Kapoor and worked with director Anurag Basu for the first time.
Priyanka Chopra is feeling nostalgic
Priyanka began by mentioning how she came on board, thanks to Ranbir, with whom she was working on Anjaana Anjani. “In Jan 2009, while filming ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ in New York with Ranbir Kapoor, he mentioned his next, Barfi! With Anurag Basu, a filmmaker I admired. So when Sir offered me Jhilmil, I was thrilled. We met at my Mumbai home, I’d just returned from an event, dressed to the nines. He took one look and said he couldn’t imagine me as Jhilmil. I understood, I didn’t want to mess it up either. We agreed to workshop for 5 days.”
She added, "We immersed ourselves in research, reading, watching videos, meeting children on the autism spectrum, and doing exercises in his Aram Nagar office. One day, he asked me to hurl vile Hindi expletives at him. Mortified, I still tried, it was hilarious, liberating, and pulled me out of my comfort zone. After more “Basu-style” drills, Jhilmil was born.
"Most Barfi–Jhilmil scenes were improvised. Sir shared an idea, and we ran with it. This was also one of the last times my Dad visited me on set."
About Barfi
In Barfi, Priyanka played Jhimil, a young woman on the autism spectrum, who runs into the mute, charming Barfi. Together, they change each others' lives and teach each other the meaning of love. The film, like any Anurag Basu movie, took years to produce and borrowed heavily from multiple other movies such as The Notebook. The film, nevertheless, turned out beautifully, becoming one of Ranbir and Priyanka's best movies.
Made on a budget of approximately Rs. 30 crore, Barfi! was a box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012, in India and overseas.
Priynanka added, “Barfi! remains one of my most treasured films - for the creativity, the crew, and the joy of shared challenges. Ravi Varman’s cinematography was pure poetry. Gorgeous Ileana D’Cruz brought such grace to Shruti, Ranbir shone like the star he is, and Anurag Sir, brilliant, gentle, playful. His storytelling is magic. We shot over two years with breaks, unsure if audiences would embrace it. They did beyond our dreams. The love for Jhilmil has stayed with me ever since. On this nostalgic Saturday, I felt like sharing. What are you reminiscing about these days?”
The film was selected as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. Barfi won several awards and nominations at various award ceremonies across India, including the 58th Filmfare Awards.
The film received thirteen nominations, including Best Actress for Priyanka, and won seven, including Best Film, Best Actor for Ranbir and Best Music Director for Pritam.
Priyanka is in India these days, shooting for SS Rajamouli's SSMB 29 with Mahesh Babu in Hyderabad. Her daughter Malti Marie is also with her.
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