Ranbir Kapoor

The life of a man with borderline personality disorder is relived in three stages: as a nine-year-old child, a 19-year-old adolescent and a 30-year-old adult. Exotic island, youthful abandon, far far away, Ved and Tara - a story begins. Ved has grown up among stories. As a kid in Simla, he would collect money, even steal money so that the old storyteller would tell him stories. Ved wants his story with Tara to be different. So they decided to not tell each other who they are, to only lie about themselves and after returning from the island to never meet again. But they do meet again.

In Mumbai, Sid Mehra is, in the words of his father, an arrogant, spoiled brat. He lives with a doting mother, subservient brother, and a father who covers his expenses and credit card bills. Sid takes his college finals then starts work at his father's business; he lasts less than a week before walking out. At a graduation party, he meets Aisha, newly arrived from Calcutta and set on becoming a writer. He shows her the city and helps her refurbish a rented flat. He asks if she'd like to progress from friend to something more, but she says no: he lacks ambition and isn't her type.

Set in the 1970s in a pretty corner of India, Barfi! is the story of three young people who learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms of normal and abnormal. Barfi, a hearing and speech impaired boy falls in love with Shruti. In spite of her deep affection for Barfii, Shruti gives into societal and parental pressure to marry a 'normal' man and lead a 'normal' life. Many years later their paths cross once again when Barfi, now in love with Jhilmil, is on the run from the police. Barfi is desperately seeking Jhilmil, who has gone missing.

Naina (Deepika Padukone) is a shy and nerdy medical student. She studies constantly and always tops her classes. An encounter with an old classmate, Aditi (Kalki Koechlin), makes her realise that she wants more from life than high marks. She makes an impulsive decision to follow Aditi on a commercial hiking trip into the Himalayas, up to Manali. During the hike, she renews her friendship with another former classmate, Kabir "Bunny" Thapar (Ranbir Kapoor). Bunny is a handsome charmer whose dream is to travel the world. He does not plan to marry or settle down.

"Beware, O Beautiful Ones," the title tells us--beware, indeed, because Ranbir Kapoor is already scorching his way to the top in this, his second film, and setting hearts on fire along the way. Kapoor--the grandson of the granddaddy of Indian film, actor Raj Kapoor, and the cousin of actress Kareena Kapoor--has the talent to match his pedigree and it shows even in this predictable, albeit entertaining movie about a commitment-phobe who gets a comeuppance.

Imagine a movie with the lavish production of Moulin Rouge!, the emotional complexity of a story by the great Russian writer Dostoevsky, a cast of staggeringly beautiful people, and the spectacular choreography of Bollywood extravaganzas? You've just imagined Saawariya, a lush romantic saga decked out in dazzling jewel tones--the entire world gleams with shades of sapphire, emerald, and amethyst.