Entertainment Desk:

As ‘Barfi!’ prepares to celebrate its 13th anniversary, Priyanka Chopra took a heartfelt trip down memory lane, sharing how she transformed into one of her most loved characters, Jhilmil Chatterjee, reports The Statesmen.

On Instagram, the actress posted a montage of film stills along with a long, emotional note. She revealed that she first heard about the film back in January 2009 while shooting ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ in New York with co-star Ranbir Kapoor.

It was during this time that Ranbir mentioned director Anurag Basu’s next project. Priyanka, already an admirer of Basu’s work, was excited when she was offered the role.

Directed by Anurag Basu and released in 2012, ‘Barfi!’ starred Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D’Cruz in lead roles.

Priyanka Chopra remembers ‘Barfi!’

Their first meeting, however, didn’t exactly scream “Jhilmil.” Priyanka recalled that Basu visited her Mumbai home soon after she returned from an event, dressed in glamorous attire. Looking at her, Basu admitted he couldn’t picture her as the shy, autistic girl he had in mind.

But instead of turning her away, he suggested a five-day workshop to explore the character.

Those days were filled with intense preparation; reading, watching reference videos, and meeting children on the autism spectrum. Priyanka remembered one particularly unusual acting exercise where Basu asked her to hurl “vile Hindi expletives” at him.

Initially embarrassed, she decided to go for it, describing the moment as “hilarious” and “liberating,” helping her break free from her comfort zone. After more “Basu-style” drills, Jhilmil was born.

According to Priyanka, many of ‘Barfi!’’s scenes between Jhilmil and Ranbir Kapoor’s Barfi were improvised. She also revealed that the shoot became one of the last times her father visited her on a film set.

Calling ‘Barfi!’ one of her “most treasured films,” she praised cinematographer Ravi Varman for creating “pure poetry” on screen, credited Ileana D’Cruz for bringing grace to her role as Shruti, and said Ranbir Kapoor “shone like the star he is.”

She described Anurag Basu as “brilliant, gentle, and playful,” with a style of storytelling that feels like magic.

The shoot for ‘Barfi!’ stretched over two years with breaks, and Priyanka admitted they were unsure how audiences would respond to such an unconventional love story.

She ended her post by asking fans, “On this nostalgic Saturday, I felt like sharing. What are you reminiscing about these days?”