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Barfi!
is a Hindi film that released in 2012. Directed by Anurag Basu, it is
the story of a deaf and mute boy, played by Ranbir Kapoor, who because
of his speech difficulties ends up introducing himself as Barfi (an
Indian sweet) instead of his actual name Murphy. The film for most part
is in flashback with different people recalling their encounters with
Barfi. This narrative unfolds the series of events leading to the loving
relationship that he develops with an autistic girl, Jhilmil (Priyanka
Chopra).
Something
that I remembered long after watching the movie was the manner in which
Barfi tried to test whether those he loved would leave him. He would
cut the wooden pole of a street lamp, then stand a fair certain distance
in front of it hand in hand with the person in question, and wait for
the lamp to fall in their direction. Only Barfi knew that it was just
the right amount of distance so that nobody would get hurt, but close
enough to scare. To his great disappointment he found his friend and his
first love Shruti leave his hand and move away on seeing the pole beginning to
tilt. Later in the film when Jhilmil starts becoming an important part of his life, Barfi
repeats the act with her to find that she does not even flinch and
remains staunchly by his side.
In life it is when we are going through a rough patch that we need a
show of support the most. If on one side the above scene tells us about
what kind of person we should go for in a relationship, then on the
other it exemplifies through the character of Jhilmil how we should
ourselves strive to be.
Giving
a loving embrace, kind words of encouragement
and a hand kept on hand might not do anything to change a difficult
situation but it could help the person to carry forth longer. Instead of
playing the blame game, every effort should be made to show the pride
you have in them to boost their confidence. Read between the lines and
the unsaid words. Keep aside your own worries and look instead through
their eyes.
If there is ever a time that calls for you to express your love then it is not Valentine's day, but when the going is bad.
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Image (top) source: http://movies.ndtv.com
