Interview: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kriti Sanon share recipe for Bareilly Ki Barfi

Amidst the clamour for unconventional, clutter breaking cinema, Hindi cinema yearns for the light-hearted rom coms that once drew big numbers to the cinemas. The urban love stories (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!) have largely given way to small town settings (Peepli (Live), Meri Pyaari Bindu). Love is transient, but the small towns bring with it earthy, innocent and enjoyable characters, the local culture forms the essence of the films.

Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and her husband Nitesh Tiwari have baked a love triangle in the town of Bareilly, with the inspiration for this recipe coming from the book The Ingredients Of Love, written by German author Daniela Thiele, who operates under the pseudonym Nicolas Barreau.

The story of Bareilly Ki Barfi revolves around three characters — Chirag, Pritam and Bitti, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon, respectively.

Khurrana and Sanon briefly spoke to the media sharing their thoughts on the film.

Bareilly Ki Barfi is set to be released on 18 August.

Excerpts

The film is said to be based on a book The Ingredients Of Love. So what are the ingredients that have gone into the making of Bareilly Ki Barfi?

Sanon: Honestly, I didn’t know about this book. I spoke to them (writer and director) and I think it is basically an idea that they took from a book. After that the whole script has been reworked into something else based on that idea. It is not like you will read the book and the film will turn out to be the same.

Khurrana: It is basic germ but not the entire story. I think the basic ingredient of love here are the varied characters and the bizarre situations, and how to eventually get your love. That is the kind of flavour you got in the trailer also.

My impression after looking at the trailer was that here is a film that speaks of Uttar Pradesh, Bareilly’s love, dare and humour. Do you agree? 

Sanon: Absolutely. Bareilly Ki Barfi had the UP flavour which sometimes is by-the-way funny.

Khurrana: It's in your face.

Sanon: It’s just the way things are spoken and what is spoken in actual life seems to be funny. There are situations which turn out to be comical. There is lot of drama, a certain relatability to the character. That middle class simple nuances, harkatey (mannerism) they are funny.

Ayushmann, you have played a UPite before but it’s a first for you Kriti. So how easy or tough was it for you to get into the skin of the character?

Sanon: It was interesting for me considering that I haven’t done it before. I have never lived in UP, or been with someone from UP before. I went to Lucknow a week before we started shooting. I went to this college, the principal was very sweet to let me talk for couple of hours. I was just chatting with the girls normally, like a friend.

I told them I was recording my conversation. They were fine with it. They spoke about their boyfriends, what they do, where they are from. A lot of them were staying in PG accommodation. They told me if a boy stalks them how they react. When I came back, I was just listening to the conversation for the rest of the week. Sometimes when you spend too much time with a friend, you start talking like your friend. I picked up few things from the people around me. I didn’t really follow a process but I thought this might be a good way to get hang of the languages, how they talk, where they take pauses.

Ayushmann, you enjoyed this 'good boy' image so far in your career, but is it now going to get a transformation?

Khurrana: First time I’m playing an aggressive guy, he’s a bully in fact. I have never done that in real life. As part of growing up, you get bullied by other kids. I have never done a role like that. He is not an outright bully or schemer, probably he is a selfish guy, he has his vulnerable moments in between. Yeah, it is different experience for me for sure.

What's been the most endearing and challenging part of your respective characters? 

Khurrana: Chirag has a good relationship with his mother, an undertone of love and callousness at the same time. Chirag is not a likable character to begin with. He is vulnerable, how to tread that line of vulnerability and being slightly not likable in the film, and at the same time having an opposite character like Vidrohi in front of you. He (Vidrohi) has all the funny lines in the film. He is more likeable. He is more funny, I’m not likeable at all. So having these traits and taking the story forward was the most challenging part.

Sanon: The most endearing part of Bitti is the relationship she shares with her father. It is a very intricate relationship. I don’t think it has been seen in Indian cinema before, especially when the girl comes from a small town like Bareilly. We have a scene where the father and daughter smoke together. He understands her thoroughly and is protective about her.

The challenging part is when you have a character who is outspoken, smokes, drinks, break dances, it is very important to ground the character. It is important to make people feel for her character.

Kriti, after this film, are you going to get the patent for the Bareilly Ki Barfi break dance? 

Sanon: I’m not holding patent rights, she is someone who doesn't have access to learning dance. She copies from the internet. It his her version of break dance.