Rating: 2.5***
Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kriti Sanon, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa
As the title suggest, the movie is a sweet entertainer just like a barfi that also has a small town charm which is somewhere the USP of the movie. The film is directed by one film old Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, who was lauded over her critically acclaimed debut film 'Nil Battey Sannata'.
The movie begins on a predictable and somewhat placid note, that eventually turns into a love triangle. The characters and their lives are introduced to the audience through a voice over by Javed Akhtar in the beginning of the film and one connects with them immediately.
Story: Bitti Mishra (Kriti Sanon) the only daughter of her parents Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa stays in Bareily. She is not a typical stereotyped small town girl but instead a modern, fearless and flamboyant girl, who believes in breaking societal norms. After repeated rejections from prospective grooms, a dejected, Bitti sets out to leave home and picks up a book titled 'Bareilly ki Barfi', from the book stall at the station, which changes her life. She returns home and begins her search for the author, Pritam Vidrohi(Rajkumar Rao).She then uses Chirag Dubey (Ayushmann Khurrana) the publisher of the book who is the only one who can help her connect with Pritam Vidrohi. Little does Bitti knows that the publisher of the book, Chirag is the real author! What follows next is an open challenge between the two boys to marry the lady in question. So who gets Bitti in the end is what the film all about.
Bareilly Ki Barfi is a cute love triangle that has the simplicity and warmth of a small town!
The first half of the movie keeps you hooked as it moves at the right pace and humor. The second half is more predictable and somewhere looses grip, however the movie is not lengthy and so it saves from boredom. Every character in the movie does their part well however it's Rajkumar Rao who outshines every one.
Acting : Rajkumar Rao steals the show from other lead characters, as Pritam Vidrohi, Rajkumar looks every inch of a small town boy who leads a basic life. The moment he switches from being a shy, simpleton and bored guy to a fully rowdy man altering his body language and mannerisms perfectly, he aces the character.
Ayushmann Khurrana tries to engage us, playing the lovelorn character Chirag Dubey. The actor delivers his part of a heart-broken boy to a boy madly in love and finally a guy who has lost his love with sincerity and is praiseworthy, yet he fades in front of Rajkummar.
Kriti Sanon as Bitti is charming, she smokes is an acclaimed break dancer of her area and does everything that breaks the stereotype of being a small town girl. Sanon is seen in such a deglammed role for the first time and just three films old, Kriti has done her part well with her act and the UP dialect.
Rohit Chaudhary as Ayushmann's best friend Munna looks prominent and make his presence felt in the movie. Other characters like Bitti's mom & dad
Music: The music is melodious and songs in the films are typically small-town numbers that have been shot and choreographed well. ‘Sweety tera drama’ & 'Twisted Kamariya' are already hit in masses.
The movie has some hilarious one-liners like, 'Ye toh aastin ka anaconda nikla' and 'Abe Depress Karne Bheja Tha Impress Karke Aa Gaye Ho', that totally works well for the movie which is otherwise a basic tale(quite cliched and boring by now in Bollywood).
Overall, 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' is a light-hearted film that has few odd hilarious dialogues and some great performances and my take is that the movie is worth a watch so go grab a ticket and watch this popcorn entertainer.