After watching Billu, one can only say that Priyadarshan has failed to create interest in this remake. And not only its title got short after the controversy, but rating also got squat.
The imaginary village setting is actually cinematic and its dwellers speak in a restrained manner as if it is a school play. The movie with bland plot line appears to be just bearable with the sensuous beauties — Deepika, Priyanka and Kareena.
This faded attempt of portraying the modern folklore of Krishnaand Sudama is not convincing at all. On the whole, Irrfan Khan (as Billu) has acted well which he always does; however for Shah Rukh Khan, it’s just a testimonial to himself.
Priyadarshan and Mushtaq Sheikhhave done good screenplay, even if satirically they only nick outscenes from the novel Malayalam film Katha Parayumpol. Most of the scenes are a ditto imitation of the original movie with no innovation.The poor Billu, who could not even arrange for two meals a day for his wife and children, suddenly gets the public eye when villagers come to know that Sahir Khan and Billu have been childhood friends. By chance, Sahir Khan ends up shooting in the backyard of Billu.
The star-struck villagers — be it the village moneylender (Om Puri) or the school principal (Rasika Joshi) — approach Billu to cash his contacts in meeting the super star. However, Billu is very timid to approach Sahir because of the vast difference in their social status. The story appears to be one-dimensional all through, showing only the barber’s starry influence. The movie has failed to create the right aura of the film industry as well as the village.
The Bollywood backdrop is marked by some surplus item numbers and mechanical action sequences, which are unrelated to the plot. Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri and Asrani have become very regular to Priyadarshan films, so it is difficult to discriminate them from their previous works. The movie has some technical faults, like Lara Dutta is alwayswearing eyeliner and lip-gloss when there is nothing to eat for the family; Sahir’s film scenes hardly require any villages setting; it never gets clear how the villagers come to know about the friendship of Billu and Sahir as Billu never says it publicly, etc.
Moreover, the terms barber and hajam are not muted in dialogues, but in songs; as if they sound offensive only when sung. To conclude, the movie tries to resolve its patchy plot with an emotionally driven climax, which simply appears to be an ending of too much coincidence and convenience. The familiarity between Billu and Sahir is not recognized for once throughout the film and surfaces only in the last scene. And discontentedly, the film Billu doesn’t even finishes on a moral note, albeit it had enough scope for it. So, it’s better to wait and watch the movie when the DVD is out rather than spending money in multiplexes.