/> Though Ranbir plays a deaf and mute character in Anurag Basu's Barfee his character would be no sad sack. Sad Sacks don't sell at the boxoffice.

Ranbir's title character of Barfee is a happy-go-lucky chap.

Interestingly the principal actors and the director, not to mention the film's producer, all need to get themselves and their screen images out of the depressive zone.

Anurag Basu's last film Kites was not only a boxoffice turkey it also showed the lead pair committing suicide at the end of the film. Audiences rejected Anurag's dirgeful dedication to that thing they call love.

Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra's last outing together was the under-performing Anjaana Anjaani in which both played suicidal souls jumping off bridges, putting plastic bags on their faces, popping pills and seeking every possible means of ending their lives. Understandably the film had anything but a happy ending at the boxoffice.

Now in Barfee Ranbir plays a deaf and mute character while Priyanka plays a mentally challenged girl. Not a very happy situation to be in, when your last film about depressed characters has been rejected at the boxoffice.

Not surprisingly director Anurag Basu and UTV (who have been not too lucky with films about suicide, death and dying) will make Barfee a positive life-affirming films with plenty of humour, music, dancing and singing. Basu was holed up for some months concentrating on instilling a positivity and laughter into the script before he began shooting.

To begin with, the title of the film was changed from the dark Silence to the sweet-and-cute Barfee. More importantly, the film will now have as many 10-12 songs, although the hero doesn't talk or speak.

Says a source, "Anurag Basu was earlier working simultaneously on his two Ranbir Kapoor projects Barfi and Kishore(the Kishore Kumar bio-pic) for UTV. In the past few months he abandoned Kishore to focus on altering and fine-tuning Barfee.

Though Ranbir's character of Barfee cannot hear or speak he will be shown to be a happy-go-lucky sod. He will be goofy and fun-loving, making others laugh while laughing at his own debilitating disabilities. "

UTV's Siddharth Roy Kapoor denies the script of Barfi had to undergo any changes. "Barfee is going entirely as per plan. "

Quiz him on whether UTV's latest dark offering 7 Khoon Maaf has under-performed and Siddharth smiles, "I love the way it is assumed we've suffered a loss on 7 Khoon Maaf. That is far from the truth. "

The truth, however bitter, is that dark melancholy films on physical and emotional disabilities and death are not quite the entertainment audiences want. And UTV-Anurag Basu have woken up to the fact just in time.

Barfee is going to be as happy and musical a film about physical disability as Ranbir's dad Rishi Kapoor's Sargam three decades ago.