Anurag Basu defends himself stoutly against charges of his film being copied from various sourced. Says the director passionately, “I am very proud to say Barfi is a completely original story. It’s very difficult to make original cinema and I take a lot of pride in saying Barfi is original. It baffles me why people are not appreciating the original plot, screenplay, characters and situations.”

The Barfi character played to pitch-perfection by Ranbir Kapoor, patented, popularized and now globalized by its producers UTV and director Anurag Basu, will now have a life outside the movies. While Anurag doggedly refuses any suggestion of s sequel to <em>Barfi</em> he is open to keeping Barfi’s character alive beyond the precincts of the film.

That director Anurag Basu is a closet-actor was proven when he played a pivotal role as a doctor in Onir’s I Am. But the fact that he has played a role in his own film <em>Barfi</em> came as a complete shocker. It was revealed by an actor in the film who said, “Anurag hasn’t told anyone about it. But he has done a role in <em>Barfi</em>. He appears in the sequence where Ranbir and Priyanka are traveling in an open truck. There is a man with his face covered sitting opposite the snoozing figure of Priyanka leering at her legs. The man leering at Priyanka’s legs is played by Anurag.”

Emboldened by the tremendous response that his latest film Barfi has been getting all around, Anurag Basu has now decided to helm an issue-based film on Bihar's innovative educational coaching institute Super 30 and its founder Anand Kumar. It is said that earlier, Basu met Anand Kumar and talked to him.

He is one of the most fascinating directors in the Hindi film industry. With Metro, he redefined the idea of a modern day love story, and with his recent release <em>Barfi</em>, his bag is full with nothing else but sweet accolades. Yes, we are talking about Anurag Basu. Moviechakkar entered into a conversation who is hogging all the limelight at the moment. Excerpts: <strong>How do you plan to take <em>Barfi</em> ahead of the non-Hindi audience? </strong>

Starring: <strong>Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana d’Cruz</strong> Directed by <strong>Anurag Basu</strong> Rating: <strong>**** ?</strong> Silences seldom spoke so eloquently. It’s been a while since we saw a film that set style at a subsidiary state to substance, put the characters’ inner life ahead of the flamboyant manifestations of self-identity in a world governed by benevolence and charm.