Poochat Deen Dayal ko dhaam, batawat aapno naam Sudama! review of Billu Barber

pardesi |

20 | February 16, 2009 at 1:48 am | 285 views | NaachGaana Bol| Share

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Billu Barber is the third retelling of a modernized Krishna Sudama story. Since no hairdressers protested in the USA, I did get to see Billu Barber in its entirety with no words hidden, muted or bleeped! After the highly successful Malayalam version, we had a failed Tamil version, and now Pridarshan gives us the tale in Hindi. Why so many versions of the same story? Because the world has changed, and the characters and morals of the story must needs be reworked for modern times.

Billu (Irrfan Kahn) plies his marginal barber trade in the small hamlet of Budbuda, Uttar Pradesh. In the opening scenes a Raj transport bus is shown to be going from Ghazipur to Budbuda! Billu’s shop is barely running and his family in dire straits. Then Budbuda is turned upside down by the arrival of a filming crew with the reigning superstar Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan). The village finds out that Billu is a childhood friend of Sahir and suddenly Billu’s lot is much improved, only to be cast back into the doldrums when he is unable to show any proof of knowing the star. In this tale, as in the divine one, in the end the friendship is acknowledged and Billu is redeemed in the eyes of his family and friends.

The tale is simple and linear, and told without much fuss or diversions. The entertainment quotient comes from the ensemble cast that makes up Billu’s fellow Budbuda dwellers – the poet “laureate” (Rajpal Yadav), the neighbor (Asrani), and local moneylender (Om Puri) and his henchmen, and his rival “hairdresser”! And of course the star comes with his own accoutrement of item numbers with a trio of beauties, Deepika, Kareena and Priyanka. The 4th beauty, Lara Dutta, is the muted Bindiya, Billu’s wife and mother of his two kids. The films travels through some placid and some turbulent waters of Budbuda life, interspersed with encounters between the villagers and Sahir. The comic moments are vintage Priyan and remind one of the Hera Pheri days more than the recent Priyan films. The other entertainment is by way of a nonsensical film of brothers separated, one is an intergalactic traveler and the other lives in a village! In an insane twist the quest to find the brother is set in a mela – thus turning the classic bichadna scene into a possible milna. And the beeping locket that was supposedly put around each neck is the cause of much hilarity. The simplicity of village life, a goat, a chulha with roti cooking on it, washing clothes at the river, school-children with oiled hair in plaits, bullock carts, bicycles and the constant need to know about neighbor’s affairs is put together like a piece of art by Sabu Cyril and framed beautifully by Manikandan’s lens.

The performances by the main cast are quite even, others sometimes loudly comic and a bit loutish, especially when it comes to the villagers. Irrfan IS Billu. He is brilliant as the hard working, wry, and dry humored man hard-pressed to make ends meet, and terrified of finding out that Sahir does not remember him. His “conversation” with Sahir in the phone booth is a classic. Lara is competent as the village woman, a bit youthful but still down-to-earth and human in craving attention. Shahrukh gives an even performance as a larger than life star – all the way from the on-stage rockstar persona (Ae Aa Oo), to the man who, in a flash, reveals his vulnerabilities as he reminisces about his long lost friend. The item girls are all gorgeous looking, but Kareena and the setting and choreography of Marjaani steal the show. Deepika has equal time in the intergalactic Love Mera Hit Hit, while Priyanka does part of the lunge version of Khudaya Khair. The reality of these songs is apparent in the film – as none is part of the narrative, and they are either parts of Sahir’s films, or being shot in front of the villagers. Some trimming of these (as was done with Priyanka’s song) would have helped shorten the film and made it better paced.

So what is this new take on the Krishna Sudama story? By making a superstar take on a god-like role (and this was the intent right from the original Malayalam version) is the author of the story telling us that we have now created new icons? Perhaps a villager putting a tika on the forehead of a star photo and praying to it, only pushes the idea further. That is a depressing thought indeed. In Sudama Charit Narottam Das tells us:

Dekhi Sudama ki deen dasha, karuna kari ke Karuna Nidhi roye
Paani parat ko haath chuyo nahin, nainan ke jal so pag dhoye.

To balance deifying of stars out, this “Krishna” seeks out Sudama, and does not promise or bestow wealth on him, but by merely wistfully wishing to remember those good times, tells him they are in essence equals.

The film has its heart in the right place and is worth a watch! 3.5/5

http://pakhipakhi.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/poochat-deen-dayal-ko-dhaam-batawat-aapno-naam-sudama-billu-barber-review/

For Orissa villagers Shah Rukh is a hero, not just a star

Akshay CCTC outgrosses SRK’s Billu – emerges biggest grosser of Q12009

Triple failure of CC2C, Billu, D-6 alienating audience from Bollywood?

Movie Review: Dekh Re Dekh

Julia Roberts’ Indian Film Set Under Tight Security

There Are 20 Responses So Far. »

rudresh 16 February 2009
01:55:19 am

Great Piece Neelu
Thanks

Gabber 16 February 2009
02:20:35 am

good review Neelu.

RAJ 16 February 2009
02:25:47 am

Great review..Neelu…Thanks..

Zen 16 February 2009
03:41:25 am

Great review, but why justify the three tellings of the same tale. And all within the same generation. SRK, priyan, and Irfan should go and look at indian folklore and come up with adaptations that are not remakes of some south hit.

My name is Beld 16 February 2009
04:20:08 am

very well said Zen. Neelu – passionate review but somehow this story doesnt cut it for me. If friendship really meant that much for the superstar – he could and should have found Billu long ago. Dont tell me that he cant make a public appeal for Billu if he couldnt find him. The whole premise of the story is flawed

Zen 16 February 2009
04:38:36 am

Good argument Beld, and it especially goes against the 15 min monologue.

Tango 16 February 2009
04:46:14 am

“Dekhi Sudama ki deen dasha, karuna kari ke Karuna Nidhi roye
Paani parat ko haath chuyo nahin, nainan ke jal so pag dhoye.”

(Thanks for rminding us of that)

Wow super review Neelu

And especially this

“To balance deifying of stars out, this “Krishna” seeks out Sudama, and does not promise or bestow wealth on him, but by merely wistfully wishing to remember those good times, tells him they are in essence equals.”

One of the best written reviews of the film.

julie 16 February 2009
05:11:44 am

Good review Neelu. I just loved your citation of dohas. Reminds me of my Sanskrit classes when I was a kid. Gosh one could never ram those dohas in memory.

ritz 16 February 2009
08:09:32 am

Good to know that you liked it. Thanks for review.

ritz 16 February 2009
08:13:21 am

Dekhi Sudama ki deen dasha, karuna kari ke Karuna Nidhi roye
Paani parat ko haath chuyo nahin, nainan ke jal so pag dhoye.

You mean our own Karunanidhi? OMG… i cant imagine he crying like that.

Tango 16 February 2009
08:17:13 am

“Dekhi Sudama ki deen dasha, karuna kari ke Karuna Nidhi roye
Paani parat ko haath chuyo nahin, nainan ke jal so pag dhoye.

You mean our own Karunanidhi? OMG… i cant imagine he crying like that.”

rudresh 16 February 2009
08:29:59 am

“Reminds me of my Sanskrit classes when I was a kid. Gosh one could never ram those dohas in memory.”

you mean shlokas Julie. The shlokas r hard to remember but nothing give the pleasure to my vocal cords more than enchanting the shlokas.

Tango 16 February 2009
08:57:08 am

Balika, balike, baliko

Sanskrit is very much like Arabic, quite asystematic grammer, unlike English.

neelu 16 February 2009
11:01:48 am

Thanks folks! For those who recall bits of Narottam Das’s Sudama Charit, here is more from the opening part when Sudama stands at Krishna’s mahal:

Sees pagan na jhaga tan mein, Prabhu jaane ko ahi base kehi grama
Dhoti phati si, lati dupati aro paayen upanahu ko nahin saama
Dwar khado dwij durbal dekhi rahyo chaki so vasudha abhirama
Poochat Deen Dayal ko dhaam, batawat aapno naam Sudama!

@Zen – I think you are spot on with your take that there are many many more legends and tales that need to be told. But some stories ARE told over and over again! That is because they carry some special meaning for us or are poignant, or can be retold in many different contexts. Devdas has been retold 4 times, most recently in a modern “sex, drugs, and cynicism” version! Shakespeare tales have been retold numerous times, most recently by our own Vishal Bharadwaj. Here is what the Wiki has about films on the Krishna Sudama story:

“Shri Krishna Sudama (1920)
Bhakta Sudama (1927)
Krishna Sudama (1933)
Krishna Sudama (1936)
Krishna Sudama (1945)
Krishna Sudama (1957)
Krishna Sudama (1976) [3]
This story is also the inspiration for the 2007 Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol, 2008 Tamil film Kuselan and 2008 Telugu film Kucheludu.”

Not having seen the Malayalam or Tamil or Telugu versions, I have no idea how much this is changed for the Hindi belt. But it is modern telling that the Hindi belt may not have seen. I think it is better to adapt and even retell out own tales than to ripoff stories from the West and pass them off as out own. There is something that goes missing then, and no matter how much we enjoy the story for its entertainment value some real resonance is lacking.

@ Zen and Beld – Krishna never went and sought our Sudama either, and yet -
Paani parat ko haath chuyo nahin, nainan ke jal so pag dhoye

If you have seen Billu you will know why the two were unable to meet for many years! If you are basing your comments on Kuselan then they are best directed towards that film!

Gabber 16 February 2009
07:37:09 pm

I saw this movie yesterday.
I was utterly disappointed. It was a huge letdown and made Paheli look like an ATBB. The only good thing about this movie is its last 15 minutes. SRK’s lengthy dialogs in the climax tested my patience, though the last couple of minutes of his never ending speech made me reach out for him; but it was too little too late. Irfan khan was a pleasure to watch and i felt pity for him.Priyan’s direction was good but was letdown by a lame script.

Rating: 1/5

Gabber 16 February 2009
07:41:01 pm

and yes….The movie qualifies to be a Irfan-SRK starrer as the whole movie revolved around them. SRK was overall in the most unpleasing role of his career and whenever he used to come on screen in songs it only used to halt the narration.
This will go on to be his forgettable movie.

DISAPPOINTED!

New rating: 0.5/5

neelu 16 February 2009
08:14:08 pm

“Akshay …….. None of his fans want him to do JA kind of films. They will love to see him continue doing what he does best shown in last few years.”

Yes – I can see while fans of Akshay may not like the film

Kunal 17 February 2009
07:43:12 am

Very very good review, Neelu.
Not just articulated, but very nicely you explained the gist of the movie, without raving about the peripherals, like cholis and ghagras.

Beld, Zen, even god Krishna wasn’t able to reach out to Sudama, and their friendship was beyond any doubt. They were shown caught in the cycle of life in a way that none had the time to get back to each other, and by the time they got some time, Irrfan was lost in some anonymous village, some anonymous life. And for Irrfan, Shahrukh was lost in all the glamor and glitz of the world.

In a very Krishna-Sudama like ending, Shahrukh doesn’t help his friend directly, what he did indirectly, or whether he kept his promise of getting back to him, was not shown.

I think it was a beautiful movie, and somehow it resonates a lot with me, and will do so with people in my situation. Being here in US I lost contact with a few friends who were supposed to be for life, but I know that I not lost them still

After DCH, I think this is one movie right up there as far
as friendship and relations go.

Also, I see no harm in remaking southern hits, there is a warm story, which can be told to as many number of people, since it has no cultural boundaries, why not make it in other language to show it to a different audience.

Once again, very fine review, Neelu.

Som 17 February 2009
07:57:23 am

Thanks! Saw the movie, found it a poor effort from Priyan. Couple of good moments but do not translate into an engaging watch.