We are so glad that, after such a long time, director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari comes out with a very refreshing and one of its kinds movie - Bareilly Ki Barfi. This rom-com set in the town of Bareilly has the power to connect with the audience on a large extent as it introduces you to real people, whose charms are infectious. Bitti Mishra (Kriti) is a bohemian Bareilly girl who falls deeply in love with Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkummar) an author because she admires his progressive way of thinking. Finding him though proves to be really tough as Pritam has gone completely off radar for the last 5 years. So Bitti seeks the help of the local printing press-owner, Chirag Dubey (Ayushmann) on her journey of love. The story so far is predicted given the trailer of the film spelt it all. How it shapes up now will determine the graph of the film. The rest of the story revolves around this typical love triangle.

Bitti Mishra (Kriti Sanon) is a sharp tongued, mostly agitated Bareilly girl whose break dance is some sort of an event at local weddings. Fed up with the society and her nagging mother after a few rejections in the marriage market, she runs away from home only to find a novel that has a central character similar to her. In the pursuit to meet the writer of the novel, Bitti meets two guys who start wooing her. This love triangle soon includes more dimensions like her family, friends and families of guys and above everything, a desire to show the small town milieu in a loving way. Here’s a guy who has been bullied by Ayushmann’s character to act like a ‘rangbaaz’, slang for street-smart people with a leaning for drama. In reality, he is a soft-spoken salesman everyone scolds. But his transformation will leave you in splits. Rajkummar and Ayushmann make up for the predictability of the story. Another problem rears its head once actors are settled in their roles. By now, all these characters have revealed themselves to us, so there’s nothing more to explore other than waiting for the resolution. Most of the tactics used by the director fail to distract the audience from anticipating the climax, and when it starts we all know how it can end. Despite this, Bareilly Ki Barfi is sweet and delightful. Its hilarious one-liners like, “Ye toh aastin ka anaconda nikla” and “Ye Bitti raat bhar kahan ghumti rehti hai, ladki hai koi chudail thode na hai,” totally work. This light-hearted comedy refrains from being slapstick and slowly weaves its charm. Worth a watch.

‘Bareilly ke bazaar mein barfi giri re’. Clearly, the film was made keeping the iconic song in mind, except with an alliterative ‘barfi’ not a ‘jhumka’ in mind. This Small-Town Rom Com ticks all the boxes going in: perky girl armed with requisite quirky parents, a couple of suitable boys, and great one liners. And it does work in fits and starts, but it flattens equally in between. Among the good things about this film is the superb supporting cast: Tripathi, who’s much too young to play the leading lady’s father, does a good job of being Bitti’s papa, who’s more like a pal than a pa. Pahwa scores another ace after Aankhon Dekhi: what a lovely actress she is. The plot’s contrivances come in the way of Khurrana’s playing of Chirag fully credibly. As does Rajkummar Rao, who blows away the weaknesses of this film with his consummate act, playing the timid ‘chota shehari’ on the one hand, and the loud ‘rangbaaz’ on the other. Rao sweetens the pot, and makes up for the rest of it. Almost.

BKB is a hooray moment for Hindi cinema. This rom-com set in the North Indian town of Bareilly breaks the shackles of Bollywood's continued dependence on cardboard cuts and instead introduces you to real people, whose charms are infectious. The writers Nitesh Tiwari (director and writer of the much-acclaimed blockbuster Dangal )and Shreyas Jain have put together a sweet, identifiable crowd-pleaser that excels in the writing, direction, acting and music departments. As far as performances go--Rajkummar Rao is the scene-stealer. Whether he's the stammering sari salesman or the gali ka gunda, he is magnetic. Kriti Sanon makes for a lovable Bitti and beti, while Ayushmann goes from white to grey so effortlessly you stay invested in him. Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa are also in fine fettle and you're actually tempted to ask them for an encore. Javed Akhtar's voice-over introducing the characters and situations is breezy, once again thanks to the funny punches. Quite like the money-spinner Tanu Weds Manu and its sequel, this film too keeps you invested in its rain and shine moments. As a bonus, you get the peppy Sweety Tera Drama and Twist Kamariya tracks, both of which will get you grooving. Bite into this barfi for sure; it is bound to lift your spirits.