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Review: Shah Rukh Khan's Billu-

The star's latest makes much song and dance about nothing

By Abhishek Mande . Buzz18 Feb 13, 2009

It is with some mixed feelings one steps into the auditorium screening Shah Rukh Khan's latest movie Billu. The film has been in the news for quite many reasons – the lavish songs, the special appearances and even the title!

Funny, one thinks because none of Priyadarshan's movies have created so much news.

Billu in that sense is an exception. Because it brings together two men who are as similar as chalk and cheese.

While Priyan's movies are all about simple storylines and village settings, Shah Rukh has consistently showed us just how lavish and commercial he can get.

Story:

Bilas Pardesi or Billu (Irrfan Khan) has been living a fairly uneventful life in a hamlet somewhere in India with his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta). The guy has a rundown barber's shop, which just about provides for his livelihood.

Now, Billu has been facing some tough times – he hasn't paid his children's school fees and the power supply to his house has been cut; the government officials refuse to lend him money and Billu has no idea of how to make ends meet.

But he's a wise man and constantly keeps refusing to take a loan from the local moneylender (Om Puri). Clearly the guy is that tortoise who is content by counting his toes at the end of each day.

Life suddenly takes an unexpected turn when a superstar Saahir Khan (Shah Rukh) decides to shoot a portion of his film in their village.

A wave of excitement runs through the entire district. And along with it Billu's little secret also spreads like a wildfire – apparently this country bumpkin used to be a close friend of Saahir!

Suddenly everyone wants a piece of Billu and go all out to please him just for an audience with Saahir Khan.

Despite all his protests, no one seems in a mood to listen. Not left with any option, Billu decides to go with the flow never once confirming or denying his friendship with the star.

Things turn ugly when the very people who once hailed him begin suspecting Billu and publicly humiliate him.

Everything he's been 'conferred upon' is taken away. His hard earned money, reputation and all the things that he holds dear seem to drift away from him.

Never once through this though, you see Billu protesting or shouting out loud from the rooftops. He still continues to remain the guy who'll let the world pass by and never once get affected by it.

The revealing of the truth behind Billu's silence is what forms the heart-wrenching climax of this movie.

Shah Rukh Khan of course does not fail to add his commercial touch to Billu. So you have Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor to add 'glamour' to the star-deprived cast.

And finally, there's Shah Rukh himself who plays the superstar – the man who knows how to make his audiences cry, make them dream and tell them that in the end it's all going to be okay.

It's probably this one trait in Shah Rukh's movies that has found him innumerable fans across the world. Give him ten minutes and the man has the ability to make half the auditorium cry. It's exactly what he does in Billu too.

While the climax belongs entirely to Shah Rukh, the movie itself is all about Irrfan Khan. Clearly the most underrated actor in Bollywood, Irrfan delivers such a spirited performance it makes your heart go out to him.

Making a lover or a villain a star of the movie is probably a simple job. But try making the chap next door the hero and you know what a task it can be. Irrfan does this very thing almost effortlessly.

Lara Dutta too does a fairly decent job in the movie, if you can willingly suspend the way she's been styled. Indeed, the three lead actors do justice to their roles for most part of the movie.

Does all of this work? Not quite.

Surprisingly, it is Shah Rukh Khan who at certain points fails to hold one's interest.

Watch out for his almost half-hearted dance steps in the Priyanka Chopra number and you wonder if it's the same guy who danced atop a train singing Chaiyya Chaiyya

And then there's the part where he's trying to get a villager to act – it's quite silly actually because we've seen this man do so much better.

But here's the thing – Billu (registered as Billu Barber at the Censor Board) in more ways is Priyadarshan's films.

There are his favourite set of actors – Asrani, Om Puri, Manoj Joshi and Rajpal Yadav – cracking the typical jokes you're used to hearing in Priyan's movies. The setting is rural, again a Priyan trademark and the treatment of the story is very much the same.

I've never really enjoyed his movies – probably Hera Pheri was the last. Ever since the Akshay Kumar-starrer hit the jackpot, Priyan has rarely innovated.

His style of filmmaking, may strike a chord once in a while. But for most part, you know just what's coming. You know that every silly joke Asrani or Om Puri crack you will have a bunch of extras who will laugh in the same tone.

And then there's Rajpal Yadav - a constant fixture in his films - doing the same routine one movie after another.

Sitting through two hours of predictability to watch a popular star belt out a great ten-minute performance may not be one's idea of a 'paisa vasool' film.

Also Priyan seems to forget that Shah Rukh - though a big star - is also an ageing one. You have some real shocking close-ups of Khan, showing in one shot the superstar's stained teeth! It's disturbing even for the staunchest fans.

At its very heat, Billu is a simple story – quite like the Rajini's Kuselan and the Malaylam original Kadha Parayumbol starring Mammootty. The idea of these movies comes from a tale in the Mahabharata of the friendship between a poor bramhin Sudama (known as Kuselan in the South) and Krishna, the Yadav prince.

It's a story many of us have grown up listening to and has stayed with us to this day because it was simply told and did not have any item songs and silly jokes.

Verdict: Watching Billu made me wish for something simpler, shorter perhaps; something that would make me go back to the dung-caked house where stories were all about human relationships and even came with a little moral at the end of it.

Rating: 2.5/5

http://buzz18.in.com/reviews/movies/review-shah-rukh-khans-billu/115802/2

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Take your kids to Billu

Raja Sen
February 13, 2009 13:38 IST

Trust the man who came from Fauji to give us a film reminiscent of the good old Doordarshan days.

Shah Rukh Khan's [Images] latest production is a simplistic, well-meaning take on a familiar story, and Billu -- perhaps inadvertently -- ends up being a naive little children's film, the kind of entertainment DD used to hurl at us kids during its Afternoon Transmission.

It takes a while to get used to it. The setting is that of the imaginary village of Budbuda, which like most cinematic villages behaves like no other place on earth. Its residents speak as if constantly on stage in a school play, and director Priyadarshan's [Images] attempt at restrained realism -- his Swades [Images], so to speak -- takes place in a stagey, theatrical, unreal zone. His village is populated mostly by cutouts, yet, by the time the film's end rolls around, they end up rather likeable.

Such is also the case with the film's leading man, Billu. Irrfan Khan [Images] plays the barber with the sort of plodding sincerity that initially grates on our nerves, nerves nowadays used to slangy edginess in character, but such is the charm of the everyman performer that it becomes increasingly difficult to not like him.

Lara Dutta and Irrfan Khan in a scene from BilluThe Krishna-and-Sudama tale is an essential part of Indian folklore, the story of a poor man reluctant to claim any ties with the King, who would likely have forgotten him. And as we know, the Lord hasn't forgotten a thing, and welcomes his old friend with open arms and cartloads of generosity. It's a simple moral tale, and Priyan keeps it pretty much exactly the same.

Which brings us to the film's basic problem. Thrust in as much Khan as you want, but the story remains one we know well, and the film takes its own time getting to the plotpoints. Also, we might honestly be a bit too old to appreciate a school play which doesn't feature a cousin or nephew or daughter to be biased about, and Billu gets significantly tiresome as the story unspools. Sure there are a few deft comic moments, and Khan even addresses the Khan v Khan 'feud' the media makes such a rush over, but watching Om Puri [Images] fall from a chair isn't really enough to keep you glued to the screen during a predictable film.

Shah Rukh, however, is clearly having a ball. I'd assume the actor made this film as a bit of Sunday schooling for his kids, and the film within the film features aliens and medallions separated at birth, an inept director and pretty cheesy dialogue. Khan mocks his own stardom pretty constantly and sharply, pointing to his bodyguards and deriding himself for perpetually being surrounded by more men than women.

Then there are the three item numbers you've seen glimpses of in the promos, random gratituous songs featuring Deepika Padukone [Images], Priyanka Chopra [Images] and Kareena Kapoor [Images] all gyrating with Khan who is frequently in black-and-gold regalia. Knight Riders season coming up, remember? And there's even a bit when he whips out a bright green light saber. Awesome. If that saber isn't there simply to make his son grin, I'll eat my hat.

Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor in a scene from BilluWhen Bollywood takes a crack at children's cinema, it usually does so with such condescending formulaic tripe that it's hard to sit through the forcefed emotions and the like. Billu is definitely a more sincere product, one that tries hard to keep the story and morals straight, and let the rest work on its own. Like most other movies in theatres today, you could easily chop a half-hour off the running time.

By the time the end -- the inevitable end you know right from the start -- swings into place, you're admittedly more than a little weary, and have rolled eyes a few times. Just when you're least expecting it, though, Khan takes the stage and starts talking to all of Budbuda, addressing its schoolkids. The morals are drilled in, but this is a truly brave monologue, a speech that goes on for about twelve whole minutes. Khan goes from smiley charm to red-eyed anguish, and delivers this section excellently, the producer in him ensuring he's far removed from the standard-issue ham trappings of commercial cinema.

It is this end that elevates the film, making it a worthwhile children's cinema experiment rather than a humdrum nothing film. If kids are not watching quality realistic cinema made just for them -- and we know they're not -- than does it take the belles and wolf-whistles of King Khan [Images] to lure them into theatres? And can that, by itself, work? Let's hope it can.

Finally, it's worth noting that the story of a poor man and God has been turned into the story of a poor man and a movie star. I'm not denying it accuracy, for in this world without towering figures in politics and sports, the stars are the ones who bestow the nation with wonderment -- it's just as valid as America now calling superheroes the new Greek Gods. And while the analogy may be correct -- and no offense to Mr Khan -- isn't it at least a little disturbing?

Rating: 2.5/5

http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/13review-billu.htm

'Billu Barber' - Tugs at your heart

By N K Deoshi
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Story is the King in Billu Barber and not SRK whose histrionics pale in front of the other Khan, Irrfan, that is.

Your heart aches for Billu, the poor village barber with just one rupee note in his shirt pocket and a simple humble heart beneath it. His life scrapes the bottom way below poverty line. In his ramshackle shop he awaits customers that walk into his rival's refurbished salon across the road. At home, bijli has been disconnected due to nonpayment of bills, and Billu's two kids are thrown out of school for same reason. In this already turbulent life of Billu ( Irrfan Khan ) enters a tornado in the shape of superstar Sahir Khan ( Shahrukh Khan ), Billu's estranged childhood buddy.

Even as Sahir, who comes to shoot his film in the village, is worshiped (literally) by the villagers, Billu is elevated from the status of a pauper to a celebrity sought after by people who want to meet Sahir. His kids are taken back by the school. His shop is renovated by a miserly money lender ( Om Puri ) and paeans are written in Billu's name by a jobless and talentless writer ( Rajpal Yadav ). Even Billu's wife ( Lara Dutta ) wants to meet the superstar.

But somewhere deep down Billu is convinced that Sahir won't even remember him, forget recognizing. Billu's also too embarrassed of his own poverty to muster up courage to meet the demigod superstar.

It's a story that throbs with emotions. It tugs from within you love and sympathy for its titular protagonist, and it builds up suspense right to its fag end when floodgates open and you are overwhelmed by tear-jerking emotion.

Certain folklores have a never-waning appeal. One such is the lore of Krishna and his poor childhood friend Sudama. To this very age when film-stars are deified and many modern-day Sudamas bite the dust, the story holds relevance. And director Priyadarshan tells it simply, wittily, but not without painful (for viewers) digressions into the so-called item numbers by belly-button beauties – Deepika Padukone , Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra . A viewer feels better left off in the raggedy, tattered world of Billu than being subjected to the glossy, blinding sheen of the superstar's gyrations with cosmetic beauties. You almost wish the film's editor had snipped his scissors more on this glam quotient made mandatory by commercial concerns.

If songs – with the exception of "Billu Bhayankar" and "Khudaya Khair" – are forgettable, equally below par is performance by Shahrukh Khan who hams through most of his role. If he makes you moist-eyed at the end it's solely because the situation is so pregnant with emotion and not because of his acting.

The true King Khan of the flick is Irrfan whose understated, meek and vulnerable portrayal of a lovable, penniless barber wins you over. It's a performance you can see bar bar. Lara Dutta hardly gets into her character, but you don't really mind it. For there's a continuous comic streak from the likes of Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav in the first half.

The humour is genuinely funny at places but is mostly passable. The SFX – Matrix ishtyle – is better than what we normally see in Bollywood.

The best moment of 'Billu' comes at the end, when Sahir Khan recalls his childhood at a school function and Billu hears it from across a faraway fence and walks away after hearing it. His wife, who had been so eager to see Sahir, joins him. The movie doesn't end there. But what follows is worth sitting the whole movie through.

Do watch it.

Rating: ***

http://www.apunkachoice.com/dyn/movies/hindi/billu_barber/billu_barber-review.html

Critic Rating : By movietalkies
Friday Feb 13 6:13 PM

After dabbling in comedies successfully and not so successfully, director Priyadarshan shifts his gaze towards a very simple and moving tale in Billu. The film's story is very simple and it has a heart tugging quality about it which lifts it from its ordinariness and makes it a very good film, if not an excellent one. The film's story is based on the theme of friendship, quite like the mythological friendship about Lord Krishna and his poor friend Sudama. The parallels are there but they are not so in your face.

Irrfan Khan essays the role of Billu, who runs a decrepit, crumbling barber shop in this small village in the interiors of India. His business has run into bad days as a snazzy salon has opened next door and almost eaten into his clientele. All he gets is the remains, again very far and few. Already burdened by the angst of trying to survive his poverty with his dignity intact and give his two children and wife, Bindiya (Lara Dutta) a decent life, his life takes a turn for the worse when the matinee idol Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) makes his entry into village for the shooting of his latest film.

The news that Sahir is Billu's childhood friend spreads like wildfire in the entire village and everybody wants a piece of Billu so that they can get close to Sahir, including his wife and children. What they don't know is that Billu cannot muster the courage to go up to his old friend because he is ashamed of his poverty. When Billu refuses to go and meet Sahir, the villagers, think that he was trying to dupe them and label him a fraud. It seems that even his children and wife don't seem to really believe him. But then he finds out that Sahir has not forgotten him and their friendship. The superstar finally comes to meet our modern day Sudama in his half broken house once he learns of his existence. And Billu again becomes a hero in the eyes of the villagers and his family.

The story and its premise is simple and sweet and one can see Priyadarshan's masterly comic touch in play even here. He has an eye for human foibles and uses them brilliantly to create characters who are so real and yet to so funny. His favourites, Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav, add to the comic flavour of the movie. A delightful touch of irony runs through the film, as it touches on people's reaction to Billu once they learn that he is a friend of the superstar. Everybody is nice to him, but with an ulterior motive, beginning with the school's principal to his rival barber. These perceptions change when the cops whisk him away on charges of fraud, and then again undergo a transformation when it is proved beyond doubt that he is indeed Sahir's best friend. Priyadarshan looks on at human weakness with an indulgent eye and creates comedy out of not so funny situations. The film has been written well and its dialogues and screenplay are just right for the subject. The only complaint, if one can call it that, is that it would have been nice to see a little more of Irrfan and a little less of Brand SRK. But there is a lot that goes into the marketing of a film and there is no more saleable brand than SRK.

Irrfan steals the show with his portrayal of Billu, the barber. This actor is truly blessed with talent and craft. He always pitches his performance just right. There is not a single discordant note in his performance, which is like sheer poetry. In this film, he underplays Billu and his angst, and delivers his dialogues with just the right kind of punch. He is quite the life of the film. Shah Rukh Khan really does not have to do much to portray a superstar. He gives the character of Sahir a certain kind of warmth, which is quite endearing. He works hard in the film as he dances with three divas and is quite impressive in all three song sequences. Lara Dutta as Billu's wife is a little out of place with her designer low cut cholis and anglicized Hindi. But she has tried very hard to fit in and she does full justice to her role. Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav too are treat to watch in their cameos.

One has no clue about Kuselan, but Billu is a sweet film with some really heart tugging sequences which kind of reinstate one's faith in the human nature. Well done Priyadarshan!

Rating: 3.5/5

http://in.movies.yahoo.com/movies/Billu/reviewdetails-715.html
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I watched it! I watched it! I watched it! I watched it! and i loved it 😳

Originally posted by: anna143

I watched it! I watched it! I watched it! I watched it!
and i loved it 😳

call me a crazy srk fan but honestly the scenes with srk in it were the best and worth it. Songs just made me wanna jump on my seat and scream esp. Marjaani. Irfan Khan and Lara were superb, movie tends to be boring towards the end just a bit. But on total the movie was funny, yet senti at times.

Thanks for the review anna 😊 I think i am going to love Marjaani song too.

Billu Rating:***

Sarita Tanwar
sarita.tanwar@mid-day.com

WHAT'S IT about: The most effective stories are the ones told simply. That's what makes Priyadarshan's new film, Billu, so endearing. There's the usual gloss and the oomph factor — but when you walk out of the theatre, what lingers is the unpretentious flow of emotions. Priyadarshan weaves the film around a quiet and unassuming barber (never mind the unnecessary drama over the term) Billu (Irrfan) who lives in a small village with his wife (Lara) and two kids. Things change for him when the country's biggest superstar Sahir Khan (SRK) comes to the village for a film shooting. Billu has told his family that he and Sahir were friends. When news spreads, Billu suddenly becomes a hero and everyone starts treating him better. But there's a catch — everyone wants him to get favours done from Sahir. When Billu can't fulfill those demands, he's ostracised by the very same people. Does Billu really know Sahir? Can he find respect for himself and his family again? That's what the film is all about.

WHAT'S HOT: Priyadarshan gets a subject he's best at handling — a story set in a fictional village. Remember Virasat and Malamaal Weekly? Each significant character (the good-hearted neighbour, the wannabe lyricist, the rival barber, the school principal, the local kingpin etc) are well-sketched and stand out. Priyan adds humour to the parched life of Billu and manages to bring about a smile even in times of despair. The story is a delightful ride and Priyan brings about the contrast with sheer perfection — with a common man's disillusionment pitched against the showmanship of a movie superstar. The screenplay unfolds in the most unassuming way. The climax is the crux of the movie and also its high point — it tugs at your heart and makes you want to believe in goodness all over again. The music actually enhances the film — with the number Billu Bhayankar being an absolute riot. Cinematography by V Manikandan is clean and crisp. Among the performances, Irrfan delivers performance that raises the bar even for himself. He makes you laugh and cry; just as effortlessly. Lara Dutta is in character as the rural wife — not an easy role. Asrani keeps getting better with age; Rasika Joshi (as the principal) and Rajpal Yadav do full justice. The superstar of Billu is Shah Rukh Khan who plays a character close to real life. No one else could've done this role with as much ease. Kudos to him for paving the way for Irrfan — especially in the climax. SRK adds so much pathos in his speech at the end of the film without going overboard – delightful.

WHAT'S NOT: A bit of trimming would've made the film racier. The pace slackens midway but picks up dramatically in the climax again.

WHAT'S THAT: Lara's blouses (sexy and deep cut) and the way she has draped her sarees makes her stand out. Compared to the costumes worn by her husband and kids.

WHAT TO DO: Billu is warm, heartfelt and funny — watch it.

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just found this thread per chance. thank you zareena for all those reviews.

i wach it tooooooooooooooooooo wat a fabbbbbbbb moviiiiiiiiiii...........luvd it totaly srk irfan lara alll did fab job gr8 famly entertainer n songz outstandin

B.O. update: 'Billu' starts slow, but actual test on Sat./Sun.

The much-awaited BILLU opened to a tepid response of 25% to 35% at various screens across the nation. However, the silver lining is that the film is enjoying positive reports and the next two days [Saturday and Sunday] will be crucial. Most exhibitors aren't surprised with the slow start, since it was evident from the promotion that the story revolves around Irrfan and that it wasn't the conventional SRK film, like OM SHANTI OM.

The other two releases, THE STONEMAN MURDERS and JUGAAD, have also opened with dull collections.

http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/boxoffice_update/index.html