MovieChat Forums > Barfi! (2012) Discussion > Just found out majority of the scenes ar...

Just found out majority of the scenes are COPIED!!!


Guys, check this out:
I In the scene where Ranbir plans to rob a bank, he plays hide-and-seek with Saurabh Shukla's cop character using a sliding door. The sequence is similar to Charlie Chaplin's 1917 short film, The Adventurer.
II The sequence where Ranbir sits on a sofa with a dummy and tries to entertain Priyanka is also lifted from Singin' in the Rain.
III The ladder sequence at the start of the film looks like a copy from Buster Keaton's 1922 comedy, Cops. The scene shows Ranbir balancing on a ladder while cops try to pull him down.
IV The scene where Barfi is found sleeping under the cover of a statue that is unveiled is lifted from Chaplin's 1931 hit, City Lights.
V The bicycle chase scene in Barfi! also seems to be inspired by Jackie Chan's 1983 comedy hit Project A.
VI There is a scene in Barfi where Rupa Ganguly, who plays Ileana's mom, tells her about her past lover. It is taken from 2004 romantic drama, The Notebook.
VII Even the end scene where Ranbir and Priyanka die together, sleeping in each other's arms, is directly copied from The Notebook.
VIII The scene where Ranbir walks into a door and his nose gets bent is taken from 1952 American musical comedy Singin' in the Rain.
IX Apart from the scenes, the idea of the film seems to be inspired by 1993 Johnny Depp-starrer, Benny & Joon, which was a film about a mentally ill girl finding love with an eccentric man.
Not just scenes, but the theme tune is also copied!!!!
X Pritam's theme tune in Barfi! is also similar to what Yann Tiersen composed for 2001 French comedy, Amelie.

Do you still think Barfi is the right choice for the official entry for the academy awards in the best foreign language film category?

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Well add to that the scene where they signal to each other with mirrors.

In BARFI Ranbir and Priyanka play this game with each other, in AMELIE, the young Amelie and the young Nino are shown playing with a piece of mirror, standing at a window (as in BARFI) but not signalling them to each other. (Basically its scene to show they both longed for a playmate.)

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I like my films coloured and my comedies black

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the pulling finger bit is also lifted from a scene in scrubs.

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Yes, oddly i watched amelie a night before this.

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The scene of throwing food off the freight train to the poor people, and then jumping off the train? Ripped from Fried Green Tomatoes.

I thought the idea of pantomiming most of the scenes was inspired by The Artist last year. I think homage to the old silent films was a nice touch, but definitely they took a lot from other films.

Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief...

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And also the idea of puting multiple photos to simulate movement is a *beep* rip-off from Lumieres brothers.

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I think these scenes were more homage than copies. Even Barfi's look is very reminiscent of Buster Keaton. There's a difference when one copies and does so respectfully and lovingly, than when one just copies. In the arts, especially in film, it's a common practice. It just needs to be done in the right spirit. That's just my opinion, though.

No, father, the moon's reaching for me!

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Your opinion is perfectly true.

Not about the cinema but about Walter Benjamin's writing, Hannah Arendt once wrote,

How were they to understand a writer whose greatest pride it was that "the writing consists largely of quotations--the craziest mosaic technique imaginable." (Men in Dark Times)

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Bollywood has to try harder than this to get respect outside of asia

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