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This article analyses the movie Barfi (Released in 2012) in light of social psychology. Every part of the movie is explained using some concepts from social psychology such as types of love, social influences, cognitive dissonance, among a few others. The beauty of this article is the unique inferences drawn and the originality with which every part of an ordinary movie is broken down, or more like pieced together to solve the complexities hidden within.
The movie Barfi is an iconic reflection on the lives of two ordinary disabled people and how their lives play out in the fields of social interaction, love, and overall life satisfaction. The story begins at a tragic-comic note where Barfi, a deaf and dumb mundane man is seen running away from the police over his never-ending mischiefs. The story alongside explains how his mother had passed away when he was a baby, so he was raised by his father. Despite the weak financial condition of their house, and other tragedies, Barfi is seen to be a jovial and energetic being.
Like every story has two sides to it, so does this one. Several themes from social psychology play out in this movie out of which 3 will be the main focus of this analysis. These themes will be- Cognitive Dissonance, Non-Verbal Communication, and Love. The story is a simple and beautiful outline knit together with complicated themes that are not visible to the naked eye, but gain prominence with every observation made.
As explained by Festinger, Cognitive Dissonance is the disharmony between internal thoughts and external actions. The rift between these processes causes distress and uneasiness. This phenomenon has been woven well into the storyline of Barfi. The main dissonance that exists is in Shruti Ghosh, the woman that Barfi fell in love with. A chance encounter between the two characters lays the foundation of their friendship that later evolved into love. The loophole in their love story was the fact that Shruti was engaged, and that Barfi’s financially low life and disability to communicate with a voice was not very pleasing for Shruti’s mother. Owing to the psychological concept of Obedience where people are bound to align their behavior along what the person in authority says, Shruti listens to her mother’s firm advice and decides to marry Ranjit Sengupta, the man she was engaged to. Her decision was inconsistent with her feelings. This inconsistency was evident throughout the movie when Shruti was shown to be gravely unhappy, for the kind of love she had with her husband was an Empty Love. She was with him on the grounds of commitment alone. A kind of war broke out inside of her, where one side wanted to be with Barfi while the other told her to be obedient to her mother, and make a practical and well thought out choice. This internal conflict is what is known as Cognitive Dissonance, a state in which Shruti was trapped till she finally let go and decided to embrace her feelings for Barfi and act on them, only to realize how late it was to do so.
The part of the movie where Jhilmil, the autistic girl Barfi loves and marries in the end, is kidnapped by her father for money, and his discomfort over this decision is an important one to note.
Jhilmil’s father was drowning in debts because all the money that belonged to her grandfather was left behind for her. Because of this, he engaged in an activity that he was guilty of. He got Jhilmil kidnapped and demanded 100000 rupees for her safety, all the while keeping his identity as the person responsible, concealed. Here, there is a play around deception as well. The power of deception is shown when the audience and the police failed to recognize the mask that Jhilmil’s father put on. However, at the end of the movie, flashbacks reveal his involvement in the feigned kidnapping. With the reveal, it is also shown that he was drowning in the guilt of his actions. The internal conflict here is whether to take his autistic daughter’s condition for granted and demand for the money to pay off his debts, or to accept her as his daughter instead of isolating her because of her autism, and not cause her such discomfort. He goes by the former decision. This inconsistency is his state of Cognitive dissonance.
Jhilmil’s life has been deeply saddening, without her realizing it. She was rejected by her parents because of societal influences. They were embarrassed to have an autistic daughter and decided to isolate her from themselves. Jhilmil’s aggression because of her condition peaked ofttimes. However, when Barfi enters her life, he accepts her aggression and finds a way to keep it under control. The pattern of love between Barfi and Jhilmil is along the lines of Companionate love. Their relationship begins on a friendly note. After several attempts made by Barfi to separate ways with Jhilmil, he always finds her coming back to him. This commitment combined with intimacy, hidden in scenes like locking fingers while sleeping, is the perfect example of companionate love.
Jhilmil is portrayed as an enthusiastic, happy girl who is thrilled to be around Barfi. In one of the songs in the movie, a very minute detail gives away the themes of Need for Affiliation and a hint of synonymous behavior in Jhilmil. This is reflected when Shruti visits Barfi, and Jhilmil sees her wearing a sari, showing her waist. After she watches her walk, Jhilmil stands in front of the mirror, trying to drape a sari, and checking to see how her waist would look. Her act of aligning her behavior along the lines of Shruti’s reflects a hint of synonymous behavior. Another important factor to notice here is her need for affiliation from Barfi. She notices how Barfi left her alone when they were out and went with Shruti, so, she dresses up to be loved by Barfi and to be noticed by him. She does this because, in her opinion, imitation will portray her as Shruti, grasping Barfi’s attention.
Non-verbal communication is a part of our lives that can never truly leave us alone. For every movement that someone makes, there are underlying reasons. These movements that act as an interface between what is done or being said and what is felt is the non-verbal communication that we all indulge in. The movie Barfi is based on two main characters- Barfi and Jhilmil, both of whom are disabled, in different ways. Barfi is incapable of talking or hearing, while Jhilmil is incapable of analyzing complex things happening around her due to her autism. These characters rely on Non-verbal communication to know what is going around. In the last scene where Barfi sets out to look for a lost Jhilmil with Shruti, he visits the Muskaan Foundation, where Jhilmil had earlier been kept for many years. When the old man at the foundation denies Jhilmil’s presence there, Barfi suspects the opposite and gets surer of the contrary of what is said. This is because sometimes words that are being said are deceptive, but the behavior, body language, and other factors are not masked well enough. Owing to his deafness, he watches the man carefully, realizing the truth, and ends up finding Jhilmil.
Through the portrayal of disabled characters in the movie, a major theme is highlighted. For Barfi, he found his love in Jhilmil. Her trust towards him is reflected when he drops the light and she does not flinch, unlike Shruti. For Jhilmil, it is realized that her family restricted her from living with them, which forced her into a state of reactance, triggering her aggressive responses and causing her to become more rebellious. As for when she is with Barfi, she is treated as an equal and she has a kind of freedom she never had before. This ignites normal reactions in her, like the one where she dresses up for Barfi, and for herself to conform with the ideal womanly look that existed in the movie. Such instances bring out the flaw in our society. Acceptance leads to a more positive response while most people still consider disorders as a shame to themselves.
The story ends at a beautiful note where an older Barfi is in the hospital on his deathbed, and Jhilmil lies next to him. Both of them pass away soon, together.
Social psychology prevails in every part of our lives. The things we do inevitably, all contribute to the themes of social psychology. It is intriguing to observe that the things we normally do are of such a significance in life, but they go unnoticed. It is only when things are seen with a different perspective do these daily habits stand out and define the content of social psychology.
The characters of Barfi and Jhilmil might have been disabled, unheard. But with social psychology, these unheard thoughts are unmuted for everyone to hear. Taking an example of this movie, it is important to note that disabilities do not affect the feelings a person has.
It is time to unmute our minds to the understanding of the feelings of these people and give them a chance to talk. These ‘Tukde Chaand Ke’ will teach you more about the significance of simpler things in life than any verbally and cognitively unmuted person ever could.
References
- Barfi, 2012.
- Baron, R., Branscombe, N., & Byrne, D. (2009). Social psychology. New York: Pearson Education/Allyn & Bacon.
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