The Lost Innocence
Recently watched the movie Barfi. Its a visual treat, 100% pure cinema which takes you to a wonderland where love is in its purest form and is beyond expressions. A mute boy, an autistic girl and a girl who is confused whether to choose between true love or a comfortable life. The characters are perfectly fit for their roles, be it-The Telugu Superstar Ileana, or the fabulous Priyanka as the autistic Jhimil. Ranbir Kapoor proves yet again why he is considered the next big thing in Bollywood. His act of Barfi! lands him in the middle of a very tough competition for the Best Actor award which already features scintillating performances by Irrfan in "Paan Singh Tomar" and Nawazuddin in "GoW".
But something that caught my eye was a lot more than the artistic enchantment of the movie. The lovely portrayal of the autistic Jhilmil fed food to my thoughts which were bent towards the loss of innocence and humanity among us. Cinematographer Ravi Varman has brilliantly portrayed the character of Jhilmil. The way she peeps through the little crystal ball gifted to her, her curiosity when Barfi tries to catch her attention by throwing his shoes in air. The sheer delight on her face, the excitement and the bedazzled look in things which we adult find mundane and "childish". Her innocence provokes a question in me- "Where has all the fascination gone". I remember as a child I used to be really amazed by how a juggler used to perform his acts in the nearby mela. I always used to insist my parents to my buy me those soap bubbles and blow them in the air. What beautiful times they were. We could just lay on our terrace and imagine the shapes of clouds- as a spoon, as a soft cotton ball and what not. Fearing animals and yet getting awed by the animals in the zoo.
But then something happened. We grew up, our fascination of clouds was ebbed as we were taught about their classifications- cirriform, stratocumuliform, stratiform and what not. The bubbles were formed due to soap which again is nothing more than polymers of fatty acids. Animals were reduced to their scientific names, taxonomies and their "environmental significance". I almost feel that instead of increasing our curiosity, science killed it. We try to find logic in everything because not knowing is tabooed upon. If we find something "nice"- we are labelled as childish and dumb. Not knowing is sin, even if we brave those insinuations, our own parents and so called "well wishers" warn us to quit DAY DREAMING and come back to the real life. After all we have to earn a bread right? This is what is answered in Barfi! in such a sweet manner.
We all need to earn a living but when we actually live our lives? Why doesnt a cute kitten tingle something inside us, why have we forgotten frolicking in the rains. Why do we think too much, analysing every situation and thinking about whats wrong and whats right.
When will we throw our facades of fake relationships and social mores and start living our lives, like a child, a baby. Like Barfi! :)
But something that caught my eye was a lot more than the artistic enchantment of the movie. The lovely portrayal of the autistic Jhilmil fed food to my thoughts which were bent towards the loss of innocence and humanity among us. Cinematographer Ravi Varman has brilliantly portrayed the character of Jhilmil. The way she peeps through the little crystal ball gifted to her, her curiosity when Barfi tries to catch her attention by throwing his shoes in air. The sheer delight on her face, the excitement and the bedazzled look in things which we adult find mundane and "childish". Her innocence provokes a question in me- "Where has all the fascination gone". I remember as a child I used to be really amazed by how a juggler used to perform his acts in the nearby mela. I always used to insist my parents to my buy me those soap bubbles and blow them in the air. What beautiful times they were. We could just lay on our terrace and imagine the shapes of clouds- as a spoon, as a soft cotton ball and what not. Fearing animals and yet getting awed by the animals in the zoo.
But then something happened. We grew up, our fascination of clouds was ebbed as we were taught about their classifications- cirriform, stratocumuliform, stratiform and what not. The bubbles were formed due to soap which again is nothing more than polymers of fatty acids. Animals were reduced to their scientific names, taxonomies and their "environmental significance". I almost feel that instead of increasing our curiosity, science killed it. We try to find logic in everything because not knowing is tabooed upon. If we find something "nice"- we are labelled as childish and dumb. Not knowing is sin, even if we brave those insinuations, our own parents and so called "well wishers" warn us to quit DAY DREAMING and come back to the real life. After all we have to earn a bread right? This is what is answered in Barfi! in such a sweet manner.
We all need to earn a living but when we actually live our lives? Why doesnt a cute kitten tingle something inside us, why have we forgotten frolicking in the rains. Why do we think too much, analysing every situation and thinking about whats wrong and whats right.
When will we throw our facades of fake relationships and social mores and start living our lives, like a child, a baby. Like Barfi! :)
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