Critical reception ,
Ranbir Kapoor, and
Ileana D'Cruz received widespread praise for their performances in the film.
Barfi! received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising the cast performances, direction, screenplay, cinematography, music and the positive portrayal of physically disabled people.
Zee News gave the film 5 out of 5 stars and said, "[a]ll in all, Anurag Basu's
Barfi! is a perfect sweet treat for his audience. Like it has been discussed, those film-makers who have been portraying the handicapped as dull and boring in their films must take a lesson from
Barfi!. Madhureeta Mukherjee of
The Times of India gave the film a 4/5 rating and said, "Kapoor, in the most challenging performance of his career leaves us 'dumbstruck'. Without use of conventional crutches of cool-catchphrases, dhamaakedaar-dialogbaazi, bare-bodies, and other 'items'; he stuns you in every single frame. For Chopra, there's only one wordBRAVO! In a role where she needs to under-emote, she does so brilliantly (delivering an incredible performance)." Roshni Devi of
Koimoi said, "
Barfi! leaves you with that warm, cuddly, magical feeling with a few tears to match. It's really worth a watch" and gave it an overall score of 3.5 stars out of 5.
Taran Adarsh of
Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "
Barfi is akin to a whiff of fresh air. Its foremost triumph is that it leaves you with a powerful emotion: Happiness!"
Indo-Asian News Service gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "
Barfi! comes as close to being a modern masterpiece as cinematically possible. To miss it would be a crime. To embrace it is to serenade the sublime". Aniruddha Guha of
Daily News and Analysis rated the film 4 out of 5 and remarked that movie "engages you at a personal level", and further added that, "
Barfi cannot be missed. It demands patience, but the payoff is incredible".
Pratim D. Gupta of
The Telegraph said, "The brilliance of
Barfi! is that it's no story and all storytelling. It's about a director at the top of his game orchestrating terrific talent into a bravura crescendo. Only someone who has shown death the door can open windows to life like this."
Filmfare gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated, "
Barfi! is that rare film that can make you smile and make you cry in the same scene. Its technical brilliance is only outdone by its emotional complexity and depth. Pritam's music adds a nice silent-era charm to this already fantastic story, making it an occasion when words simply aren't enough." Raja Sen of
Rediff.com has given 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "
Barfi! is a well-crafted script with an intriguing back-and-forth narrative but it all goes south towards the end."
Anupama Chopra writing for
Hindustan Times gave it 3 out 5 stars and wrote, "[t]his is a film made with love, bolstered by wonderfully etched vignettes, Kapoor and Chopra's stupendous performances and a gorgeous soundtrack by Pritam. And yet, for me,
Barfi! was a singularly frustrating experience there was so much to like, but the film never became more than the sum of its parts".
Rajeev Masand of
CNN-IBN gave 3 out of 5 stars and said, "
Barfi! had the potential to be great cinema, but as it stands it's a respectable film that's still better than a lot else you're likely to see." On the contrary,
Namrata Joshi of
Outlook felt that "The flashback within flashback narrative gets way too clumsy and turgid, the thriller twist absolutely pointless [....] appears much too crafted and self-consciously gorgeous, and feels eminently facile and plastic".
Overseas The film received high critical acclaim overseas as well. Rachel Saltz of
The New York Times said, "Bollywood isn't afraid to be mawkish.
Barfi! is at times, though not noticeably more so than most Hindi movies, despite its premise of special lovers with a special lesson to teach." Lisa Tsering
The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a refreshingly non-commercial exercise" and added that "poignant Bollywood romantic comedy". On the performances of the cast, she wrote, "[...] Basu has guided Kapoor, and especially Chopra, to turn in exceptionally restrained, organic performances."" Ronnie Scheib of
Variety wrote, "Unlike
Michel Hazanavicus' black-and-white silent homage "
The Artist", Basu's film bursts with sound and color; only the speaking- and hearing-impaired Basu is condemned to silence." Gary Goldstein of the
Los Angeles Times was more critical of the film, despite praising aspect including "the hard-working cast, a lush score, exotic location shooting and scattered warmth", called it as "more of an endurance test than entertainment."
Accolades Barfi! has received various awards and nominations in categories ranging mostly from recognition of the film itself to its direction, screenplay, cinematography, music, to the cast's performances. The film was selected as
India's official entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the
85th Academy Awards. The film received a leading 13 nominations at the
58th Filmfare Awards, and won a leading 7 awards, including
Best Film,
Best Actor (Kapoor),
Best Female Debut (D'Cruz) and
Best Music Director (
Pritam).
Barfi! received a leading 23 nominations at the
19th Screen Awards, winning 9, including
Best Director (Basu),
Best Actor (Kapoor), and
Jodi No. 1 (Kapoor and Chopra). At the
14th Zee Cine Awards,
Barfi! received 9 nominations, and won 8 awards, including
Best Film,
Best Director (Basu) and
Best Actress (Chopra).
Box office Upon its release,
Barfi! started strongly at multiplexes throughout India, with around 80–90% occupancy, but had lower opening takings because of a limited release. The film grossed on its opening day. Its second day saw an increase of around 35% occupancy and collected . In its opening weekend, the film grossed . In its first week,
Barfi! collected nett, and by its eighth day had earned despite the release of
Heroine. Barfi! earned in its second weekend.
Barfi! had a good second week where it has collected nett. In the third week, the film's takings rose to nett. and it took in its fourth week. During its cinematic release period,
Barfi! earned a gross total of in India. The all-India distributor share of the film was . The film became one of the
highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2012 in India, and was declared a
"Super Hit" after its three-week run by
Box Office India. The film went on to gross worldwide. Internationally,
Barfi earned around in its opening weekend, slightly exceeding
Raajneetiwhich had collected By the end of its run,
Barfi! had grossed $6.25 million outside India, and it became one of the
highest overseas grossing Bollywood films of 2012. == See also ==