Ranbir's ad reveals Barfi!'s secret

Imagine that you have planned a huge surprise, and it leaks out before time - how will you feel? Ditto is the situation with Anurag Basu, the director of Barfi!.

While Ranbir Kapoor’s old man look in an ad has been the talk of the town since its revelation, Basu isn’t amused. The reason is: Ranbir's vintage look, with the wispy white hair, moustache, large spectacles, baggy trousers, stiff body language, is precariously close to one of his fiercely-guarded looks in Barfi!.

When contacted, Basu confirmed the news, and added, "I was at the airport when I first caught a glimpse of Ranbir and that too on mute. I was shocked. I thought someone had put Barfi!'s first look out there without my knowledge!" Basu says he made some frantic calls, and was told that it was an ad. "I caught the complete ad later and was taken aback with what I saw. Ranbir's getup in the TV ad is almost identical to that of his old-age look in Barfi!. I was disappointed."

A source close to the film added, "Anurag was very angry. He and his producer UTV had taken great pains to keep the look under wraps. But with the ad, the look is out and so is the big surprise."

According to those in the know, the ad makers may have picked up the concept from Ranbir's smart-phone, as he had his Barfi! look as his display picture for a while.

Basu does not deny being disappointed. But he is in an exceptionally forgiving mood. "What can I say and what can I do? We had really taken a lot of pain to guard his look and keep it under wraps. But I guess it had to happen this way. So it's fine now."

When asked if he has had a word with Ranbir about the issue, Anurag said, "Yes I have. But I have also shot several TV commercials with Ranbir in the past and I know that he sticks to the brief that he is given, without asking any questions. I spoke to him a couple of days back and he simply smiled. When Ranbir smiles usko sab maaf hai."

In Bollywood, where a smile turns to frown for the smallest of reasons, “forgive and forget” is a very rare phenomenon, and Basu did it so easily – we are pleasantly shocked! And yes, we especially like his last statement – “When Ranbir smiles usko sab maaf hai."