Priyanka Chopra Reminisces About Barfi! | Reveals Ranbir Kapoor’s Role in Her Casting

Not long ago, Priyanka Chopra had posted a nostalgic note about her experience of playing Jhilmil in Barfi! - a role that is yet one of her most remembered. She said she remembers first hearing of the project when she shot Anjaana Anjaani with Ranbir Kapoor and could not wait to work with Anurag Basu who is a director she so looked forward to work with. She prepared by means of extensive workshops, the research of autism spectrum behaviours, and passing comfort through acting exercises.

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Priyanka Chopra's latest post

Taking to Instagram, Priyanka wrote, "In Jan 2009, while filming Anjaana Anjaani in New York with Ranbir Kapoor, he mentioned his next, Barfi! With Anurag Basu, a filmmaker I admired. So when Sir offered me Jhilmil, I was thrilled. We met at my Mumbai home, I’d just returned from an event, dressed to the nines. He took one look and said he couldn’t imagine me as Jhilmil. I understood, I didn’t want to mess it up either. We agreed to workshop for 5 days."

Priyanka also opened up on how she prepared herself to play Jhilmil in Barfi! by delving into some hardcore research and some unusual acting performances in which she took on all she could to become one with Jhilmil. She said, "We immersed ourselves in research, reading, watching videos, meeting children on the autism spectrum, and doing exercises in his Aram Nagar office. One day, he asked me to hurl vile Hindi expletives at him. Mortified, I still tried, it was hilarious, liberating, and pulled me out of my comfort zone. After more “Basu-style” drills, Jhilmil was born. Most Barfi–Jhilmil scenes were improvised. Sir shared an idea, and we ran with it. This was also one of the last times my Dad visited me on set."

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The actress went on to add, "Barfi! remains one of my most treasured films - for the creativity, the crew, and the joy of shared challenges. Ravi Varman’s cinematography was pure poetry. Gorgeous Ileana D’Cruz brought such grace to Shruti, Ranbir shone like the star he is, and Anurag Sir, brilliant, gentle, playful. His storytelling is magic."

She concluded her post with, "We shot over two years with breaks, unsure if audiences would embrace it. They did beyond our dreams. The love for Jhilmil has stayed with me ever since. On this nostalgic Saturday, I felt like sharing. What are you reminiscing about these days?" Take a look at the post here:

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