julie

julie | 13 | February 14, 2009 at 2:49 pm | 143 views | NaachGaana Bol| Share

Must say I rather enjoyed watching Billu. Based on a simplistic theme – it somehow touches a cord within you. The movie communicates with the heart but is rather frail in commercial ingredients – things which are necessay for a movie to traverse on a path of commercial success.

Irfan Khan’s portrayl of a UP based villager is a bit of a miscast in the role of a poor barber belonging to UP, as he is unable to or rather makes a feeble effort in adopting the local dialect. He speaks in “khadi hindi” whereas he should be speaking in a dialect. Lara Dutta on the contrary, despite her glamorous look makes an honest attempt at the portrayl of a village belle. If she had had an extended role, she could have delivered worthwhile performance. Shahrukh Khan plays himself (under the name of Sahir Khan); his final speech shows him in very good form but the final scene of the reunion with his friend who he described so fervently and with deep emotions was a bit of dampener  because the chemistry between two friends who had such an initmate bond in their childhood, as dileneated in the speech, came across as a tad superficial and sketcy, bringing an abrupt end to the movie.

The other chracters like Om Puri, Raj Pal Yadav and Asrani make the movie quite interesting from time to time.  Of the three female guest appearances,  Deepika, Kareena and Priyanka – Kareeena was the best of the lot.

I don’t know whether anyone actually remebered the mythical connection in this story of two friends who by destiny and fate lead diametrically opposite lives. One is a superstar and the other is a destitute barber in a small village.  Life takes them in a different direction but by a stroke of destiny brings them in front of one another. The mythical link here is the story of “Lord Krishna and his penurious friend Sudama. The scene in which Sahir Khan comes and eats the sweet dessert made by the wife  of his childhood friend, seems to be imbibed from a very special moment when Krishna visits the hut of Sudama and insists to eat at his home.

All in all Billu is a good entertainer having the heart in the right place with decent performances.

Rating: 3/5

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There Are 13 Responses So Far. »

1. 

   neelu 14 February 2009
   02:59:39 pm

   

   Thanks Julie! Glad to know you liked it. I plan to see it tomorrow.
2. 

   julie 14 February 2009
   03:04:02 pm

   

   thanks Neelu. Actually I rather enjoyed listening to pure hindi after a long time. Listening to the UPite hindi was music to my ears. Enjoy the film tomorrow.
3. 

   Tango 14 February 2009
   08:46:55 pm

   

   Thanks Julie. Good to hear your views on the film.

   I especially like your conclusion

   “The mythical link here is the story of “Lord Krishna and his penurious friend Sudama. The scene in which Sahir Khan comes and eats the sweet dessert made by the wife of his childhood friend, seems to be imbibed from a very special moment when Krishna visits the hut of Sudama and insists to eat at his home.

   All in all Billu is a good entertainer having the heart in the right place with decent performances.”
4. 

   sv 15 February 2009
   01:34:17 am

   

   Good review julie.Just for the record,it is sudama who visited krishna.krishan did not visit sudama.In this film shahrukh visits irfan.
5. 

   neelu 15 February 2009
   01:46:44 am

   

   He does not visit Irrfan does he? He is in the village.
6. 

   julie 15 February 2009
   02:18:11 am

   

   thanks Tango and sv.

   sv – it was indeed Sudama who goes to Krishna with a potli of rice and some delicacies prepared by Sudama’s wife. It is not an exact replica, but the essence of the mythical connection is seemingly captured by the film.

   Sudama is reluctant to visit Lord Krishna becasue of the wide disparity in their backgrounds and status, but under coercion from his wife goes and meets Lord Krishna. Even then he is unable to ask him for anything as words fail him. But upon return to his home, he cannot recognize his home as the same humble abode has turned into a plush mansion.
7. 

   Tango 15 February 2009
   05:04:58 am

   

   Julie you know it was Glamsham last month that forst talked of the Krishna-Sudama similarity

   BILLU BARBER to rekindle the Krishna-Sudama friendship

   http://www.glamsham.com/movies.....010910.asp

   When Shah Rukh Khan’s home banner, Red Chillies Entertainment, announced BILLU BARBER, to be directed by comedy king Priyadarshan, all that we knew was that the film was a remake of the Malayalam hit, KADHA PARAYMBOL and that its Tamil version, KUSELAN had megastar Rajnikant in a guest appearance, that of a superstar. However, there is more to BILLU BARBER than it simply being a remake!

   As we know, a lot of changes in the screenplay were made to suit the larger than life image of Shah Rukh Khan, and as a result we have him doing as many as three item numbers with hot and happening Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. And of course it is full of Priyan’s comic touches, complete with his much loved village bumpkin characters, played by Asrani, Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav. But above all, it rekindles the Krishna – Sudama timeless friendship.

   The story of true friendship between Lord Krishna, the King of Dwarka and Sudama, a poor hermit is known to most of the Indian children. It is described in Bhagwat Purana, an ancient scripture of the Hindus and is taught in most Indian schools in one form or the other. The reason being that the moral of the story is so strong that it inculcates humbleness and greatness and conveys the true meaning of friendship. And therefore symbolizing the greatness of Lord Krishna is superstar Shah Rukh Khan and the inferiority and insecurities of Sudama, a poor hermit, has been enacted by ace actor Irrfan Khan, essaying the role of a barber.

   Well, a great entertainer with a strong social message, we are sure that BILLU BARBER will be loved by all when the film embraces its audiences as it hits the screens on 13th February, just like a Krishna embraced his long lost friend Sudama!
8. 

   julie 15 February 2009
   06:13:47 am

   

   Interesting coverage. thanks for posting tango.

   The best thing about watching a film on Friday evening is that you go with a fresh pair of eyes without much of a background on the film and are able to arrive at your own unique estimation. Actually the plot is kept fairly ambiguous right until 2/3rds of the film when you actually speculate on whether Billu has been concoting a story about his childhood alliance with Sahir. But the chracter of Billu is kept fairly mysterious and rather underplayed amidst the generic euphora in the village about the presence of a superstar.

   It is this secretive and cryptic aura that actually makes the mind question or rather channelize attention towards the more deeper persona of this humble character. Whilst sitting through the film one can see the inferences and the hint towards the mythical storyline, but it is not till literally the 2nd half of the film that your mind actually starts believing in the truth belying the narration made by Bilu about his childhood outings with Sahir and thus relating the narrative with the mythical connection.

   SRK plays the larger than life chracter with distinction as it comes rather natural to him. The part that goes amiss in my view is the very last scene when the friends reunite and embrace one another. I think this was the most important scene which fails to deliver the impact.
9. 

   RAJ 15 February 2009
   10:29:35 am

   

   Agree with Julie here.Yes in the climax scene the emotions seem to be underplayed a bit hence the impact was missing.Don’t know if this is delibatate or by default.

   But I feel the pre climax scene at the school takes the movie to a higher level.Performance from SRK here pecks the punch.
10. 

    Som 17 February 2009
    04:25:50 am

    

    Nice set of thoughts Julie. Keep’em coming.
11. 

    julie 17 February 2009
    05:54:39 am

    

    thanks Som
12. 

    Rocky 22 April 2009
    07:48:16 am

    

    Finally saw Billu Barber. Was an average movie but like Julie seeing U.P. roadways kee Bus on the streets made my day !!
    The one scene in which IMO SRK was simply great was the scene whwre the Guest house maanger was trying to act as a police officer.
    The emotions on his face from humor to frustation to irritation were simply superb.Otheise he was just King Khan the fake super star !!
    Priyanka looked Hot !! Lara too in her own ways.
13. 

    Tango 22 April 2009
    09:08:32 am

    

    I had said that to SRK fans on the first day itself, that I am not hapy with the way Priyan concluded this movie. And I was right.

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