BOLLYWOOD POLL: Is Barfi! the right choice for Oscars?

Produced by UTV Motion Pictures, Barfi! is a love story, set in 1970s Bengal, of a deaf-and-mute guy (portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor) and an autistic girl (played by Priyanka Chopra).

"We are honoured that Barfi! has been selected to represent India as its official entry to the Academy Awards 2013. Barfi! is very close to the hearts of all of us at UTV, and it gives us great satisfaction that a film we have developed and nurtured from its inception has met with so much love from audiences and critics worldwide," Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director - Studios, Disney UTV, said in a statement.

"We knew that we were making a good film. But the kind of love Barfi! has already got is amazing," Ranbir told HT in an interview. Some would say that this puts Ranbir in a whole new league. We wonder if there’s any pressure now to pick certain kind of films. "When I start a film, I never think of how much it will earn. I only want to do films that will entertain people," Ranbir continues.

For the category of Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars this year, the Film Federation of India had shortlisted 17 films out which 11 were from Bollywood.

The shortlist included some critically acclaimed movies such as Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani, The Dirty Picture and Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 & 2 among others. Bollywood faced stiff competition from 6 Regional films. SS Rajamouli’s Eega was a huge contender. It is one of the most critically and commercially successful films of the year.

The Film Federation of India has made the selection and sent Barfi! as that movie which might end India's quest of the Holy Grail at the Oscars. There's criticism mounting already. This piece by sums it up quite succinctly. It gives three reasons why Barfi! will not make the cut at Oscars.

The 17 films that battled it out to be the chosen knight are:Eega (Telugu)

7am Arivu (Tamil)

Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (Tamil)

Akasathinte Niram (Malayalam)

Heroine (Hindi)

Paan Singh Tomar (Hindi)

Kahaani (Hindi)

Barfi! (Hindi)

GoW – part 1 & 2 (Hindi)

Arjun – The Warrior Prince (Hindi)

Gattu (Hindi)

Jalpari (Hindi)

The Dirty Picture (Hindi)

Ferrari Ki Sawari (Hindi)

Deool (Marathi)

Veer Hamirji – Somnath Ni Sakhate (Gujarati)

Anhey Ghore Da Daan (Punjabi)

BARFI'S BOX OFFICE REPORTBarfi! grosses Rs 100 crore in 10 days

Barfi!, which will represent the country in the foreign films segment at the 85th Oscar Academy Awards, has grossed Rs 100 crore in 10 days. It includes India as well as overseas collections. Taran Adarsh (@taran_adarsh) tweeted: "#Barfi has grossed 100 cr *worldwide* in 10 days." Ranbir-Priyanka's Barfi! earns over 60 crore in 6 days at box office

The latest figures are in and it's a rosy picture for Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra's Barfi! According to trade analysts, Anurag Basu's heartrending tale is not only doing well at the box office but is, in fact, picking up even more!



Barfi! gets a sweet deal at BO

Anurag Basu’s Barfi! has found universal acceptance with the audience, if the weekend collections are anything to go by. The Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz love story bagged approximately Rs 34.6 cr in its opening weekend (Friday: Rs 9.20 cr, Saturday: Rs 11.50 cr, Sun: Rs 13.9 cr).

Ranbir's Barfi! a winner at the box office

Rockstar Ranbir continues his success run with Anurag Basu's Barfi! as the film amasses Rs 34.20 cr in its opening weekend. The film opened to positive reviews from critics. The word of mouth seems to have done the magic.

CRITICS' TAKE

Anupama Chopra's review: Barfi
In Barfi, writer-director Anurag Basu creates a gossamer, fairy-tale world. Sometime in the 1970s, somewhere in the misty hills of Darjeeling, a penniless but irresistibly charming deaf-mute boy named Barfi gets the prettiest girl in town to kiss him.
Other critics: Ranbir Kapoor's Barfi! is a must-watch
Anurag Basu has managed to impress the critics with Barfi!, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz.
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