Billu

Billu Barber, 2009, 138 min, Red Chillies Entertainment An Excerpt

Priyadarshan's film produced by Gauri Khan, Billu is the story of a small-town humble barber, from a sleepy Indian village who is having a tough time making ends meet with overdue electricity bills and unpaid school tuition when a film star enters his life with an arrival of Sahir Khan, mega star to town for a shoot. Interestingly, a famous larger-than-life star arrives in town for a shoot sending the village into frenzy as they try to catch the glimpse of the mega-star Sahir Khan, played by non-other than Shahrukh Khan. Billu's poverty-stricken life is contrasted beautifully against the mega star until the face off of the two characters when they finally meet. This is a movie about unconditional childhood friendship, cutting through age, status or fame. At the end, childhood love and friendship heals any wound and bonds broken relationships.

What really makes the movie is the character Billu himself, played by Irrfan Khan, surely one of the most talented but underrated actor in Bollywood today. Some of you may remember him from Mira Nair's film Namesake which he gave superb performances as Gogol's father as well as the mean police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire. He is the emotional core of this movie. The film starts with his desperate and innocent attempt to bribe a government officer in order to get a business loan for his barber shop. While listening to his plea, you can't help it but feel for him. Apparently, it is believed that this role was first offered to Ashkay Kumar. I can't imagine him playing this role. Irrfan brings a certain human dignity and respect not only to the character Billu and his profession but also to the life of poverty, convening so much by saying very little. He manages to make his character extremely believable and likable with ease.

A surprising and refreshing character is Bindiya, Billu's wife played by Lara Dutt. She should be commended for delivering a captivating and believable performance s; you would not know she is former Miss Universe. This is a different role for her; she usually plays the sophisticated beauty and I might add it is refreshing to see her in this role. The stage presence of both Lara and Irrfan is impressive as husband and wife. She gives the character strength with moments of depth, love and respect which I find very inspiring given their poverty level.

What makes this movie great its realism and depiction of rural life in India, unlike other Bollywood movies, with no pretension or smug. The cinematography of this movie is amazing, showcasing the lush of rural India. The simplicity of the film, portrayal of poverty without overwhelming the audience makes this film a delight to watch. I liked the clever way the director unfolds the story. It invites you in, but leaves you to your own considerations as the story progresses. This film lets certain details out when the moments are right, but not before the audience is fully involved in the somber life of small town man. You get the feeling that Billu is lying until the heartwarming climax. Billu is deeply touching not only in details of an ordinary man's life, but also our shortcomings and our insecurities.

This film also states that what seems trivial at any given moment in life could be important later on. Besides all this, great acting, thoughtfulness, genuine sincerity, and total emotional honesty are what one can expect from Billu without the loss of a typical grandiose of Bollywood musicals. If you want to see a movie that affirms the meaning of friendship, this is your movie. Billu is extraordinary film in an ordinary town.

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RHK, Isisbollywood

First time i watched the movie it lacked subtitles so i depended on my poor Hindi and emotional body and facial expression. The movie lacked depth to me in its first parts. Till it reached the climax the quality of emotions got some depth. Second time i viewed it my impression got better. The first part was classic Priyadrashan movie which i don't like AT ALL. Most of his films don't leave any mark on me and they slip out of my mind. I was surprised that SRK chose him for such a story that depicts a moral and values we are in desperate need in these days. However, the shooting and photography is brilliant and eye catching. I am a fan of Irrfan and Shahrukh so i got my fill of both. But the last part of the movie meant much more with adequate understanding. I actually cried a lot, especially parts where Sahir recites similar stories of his youth that overlap with shahrukh's himself. I still feel more Irrfan was required, more passionate and sorrowful but i guess its a priyadrashan movie anyway. watch it for the scenery, watch it for Irrfan and SHahrukh.. Lara dutta does a good job too. for once two hours are not enough for the story.

To appreciate "Billu" you need to understand the magnitude of the adoration the Indian public has for their movie stars, particularly Shah Rukh Khan. I knew some of this but it really helped that just before I watched this film, I also watched "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Shah Rukh Khan" on Netflix....and it showed the almost rabid adoration of the thousands of fans camped outside of Khan's home...hoping to get a glimpse of this Indian mega-star!

"Billu" is a most unusual film in that Shah Rukh Khan plays a slightly fictionalized version of himself, called Sahir Khan. It seems that he and his production company have chosen the village of Budbuda to film their next movie and this causes problems for a very poor barber, Billu (Irrfan Khan). It seems Billu told his kids that he grew up with the famous actor and knew him...and the kids now expect their father to arrange a meeting with Sahir. To make things worse, the kids tell their friends and soon everyone in the village thinks Sahir and Billu are buddies....and they all suddenly become very loving and kind towards Billu in the hope that he'll introduce them to the actor. Where does it go next? See the film.

The best thing about this film is the acting by the two Khans. Both have some marvelous moments at the end of the film...moments where you might want to have some Kleenex handy. The story itself is also quite charming and clever....and never disappoints. And, I really loved the first musical number...it was a showstopper!

Wel..l. Let me clarify one thing i will not comment anything about Storyline as it is already known to most moviegoers; being a remake of Malayalam film. So why should u go for this Hindi remake? There are several strong reasons: 1). Superb acting by all cast- Irfan khan, SRK, Lara Dutta especially Ompuri and Rajapal yadav. 2) eye catching visuals, stunning cinematography. 3) superb Art direction (just look at the entry of "Sahil khan" ). 4) Dialogues are very well written. 5) good music and item songs. 6) a treat for the whole family. 7) Nice moral concept. Over and all, this is nice attempt 2 revive the old concept of friendship by Priyadarshan. Srk has delivered great performance although the character of Sahir Khan was very much similar to him. But it is the Irfan khan who, at the end, grabs most eyeballs. In nutshell "Billu"- Simple, sweet, Honest, Descent and feel good movie....

What could have been an excellent satire is brought down by poor writing and Priyadarshan's lousy direction. 'Billu' required some heavy editing. All the sequences with Shahrukh Khan in the first half (including those horrible item numbers) could have easily been left out as they provide nothing. His appearance in the second half was enough. The so-called comic scenes are typical Priyadarshan, which is irritatingly loud and seriously needs toning down. The mob sequences and Billu's attempts to meet Sahir are overdone and repetitive. The ending is melodramatic, which is typical of Priyadarshan films. All the songs are poorly executed and, with the exception of the last three songs ('Marjane' being the best), they are horrible to listen to. Shahrukh Khan plays himself. Nothing new there. Lara Dutta is decent and she looks the part. But, it is Irrfan who manages to rise above the poorness of this movie. He is quite exceptional as the down to earth almost out of work barber and is the reason to watch 'Billu'. Asrani and Om Puri are good in their roles. Rasika Joshi is cast against type and she too turns in a decent performance. The rest of the cast (including Rajpal Yadav) are terrible (which is usually the case in Priyadarshan's films). To sum it up, the best thing about 'Billu' is Irrfan Khan who makes what would be an otherwise bad film to mediocrity.