(I just don’t like this name Billu, so I would call the film by its original and controversial name, Billu Barber!)
When someone says Priyadarshan, the first thing that comes in the mind is some of his finest comic films like Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul, Bhool Bhulaiyaa etc. However, in all his films, one thing that can be noted is that he has the ability (and has even attempted) to handle the simple, dramatic stories as nicely as the comic capers. Billu Barber, Priyan’s latest flick, has some glitches here and there, but overall, the film succeeds in striking a chord.
The story of the movie: Bilas Rao aka Billu (Irrfan Khan) is a simple man, living in a small village of Budbuda, somewhere in Uttar Pradesh. He is a barber by profession and has to struggle daily to make ends meet. One fine day, superstar Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) comes in the village to shoot his film for couple of weeks. Sahir is actually Billu’s childhood friend. Soon, everyone in the village gets to know this ‘breaking news’, leading to excitement in the lives of the villagers but havoc in the life of Billu!
Billu Barber begins wonderfully and has some interesting scenes initially. However, you soon realize that the story isn’t inching forward. It’s only post-interval that the film reaches a high. But the best part of the film without a shred of doubt is the climax! The last 20 minutes of the film not only touches your heart, but also puts a smile across your face!
The film has some great scenes and moves nicely in the later part, but one may not agree with the goings-on. Billu is Sahir’s childhood friend. Billu trying to contact Sahir by calling the guest house and going to the set proves futile. Then why doesn’t he try to meet him by other ways? He could have written a letter to him. He was quite a pro in it, as shown in the first scene.
However, this minor flaws can be overlooked since the film overall turns out to be a very good fare. The film is set in a rural sitting which itself goes in favour of the film since such films are not churned out every Friday (the last such film was Welcome To Sajjanpur). Films like Billu Barber therefore bring a fresh change!
The main lead of the film, Irrfan Khan, gives a topnotch performance! It’s a treat to see how this competent actor can play so many different roles with so much ease. He performed the role so naturally and perfectly that it feels as if he has been a villager all his life! A fantastic actor, indeed!
Shahrukh Khan as usual was rocking! The role required someone who’s a superstar in real life too and SRK perfectly fits the bill! His entry was just fantastic! The best thing was he was not there throughout the film. In fact, he wasn’t there in between at all, leaving Irrfan Khan to get maximum scope! Watch out for SRK during the climax and during the scene when he meets the school authorities. Fabulous acting!
Lara Dutta rocks in a de-glam role! She lends excellent support to Irrfan and was excellent in the last scene. The regulars of Priyadarshan-Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri, Manoj Joshi, Asrani and Rasika Joshi as usual were excellent. Special mention should be made of Rajpal Yadav and Om Puri-both provide adequate laughter! Atul Parchure as Choubey rocks, in the shooting sequence! Jagdish as rival hairdresser Madan was funny too! The kids, Pratik Dalvi and Mitali Mayakar, play their part nicely.
The divas of the film provide glamour to the film! Deepika Padukone could have been better. Priyanka Chopra looked supercool. And Kareena Kapoor was the best among all three!
Pritam’s music is marvelous, like everytime! All songs were excellent and nicely shot. ‘Ae Aa O’ was completely unwanted for in the film. And ‘Billu Bhayankar’ also disappoints since the word ‘barber’ in the song was muted, thereby, making the song sound odd!
Sandeep Chowta’s background score was perfect. The special effects (by Red Chillies VFX) esp in SRK’s entry was brilliant, matching the global standards!V Manikandan’s cinematography was first-rate. Sabu Cyril’s art direction was a treat to the eyes, especially in the song ‘Love Mera Hit Hit’.
Manisha Korde’s dialogues were witty and funny. Shrinivasan’s story was no doubt, perfect. Mushtaq Sheikh and Priyadarshan’s screenplay could have been better.
Priyadarshan’s direction was as usual excellent but had some flaws in the first half. Also, some portions of the film are shot in the village Pollachi. It’s a beautiful place no doubt but wasn’t required in this film since the story is based in Uttar Pradesh. The cloudy weather, mountain tops covered with dense dark clouds etc give in the reality that it’s some village of South India and not UP. But overall, Priyan did a fine job. He is an expert in comic complex stories. And he equally well handled this simple tale as well.
Some of the best scenes of the film:
The first scene
SRK’s entry (fabulous)
All songs (except ‘Ae Aa O’)
Scenes of Choubey
Billu at the shooting site
The intermission point
Damchand (Om Puri) presenting Billu a new chair!
Sahir with the school authorities
The last 30 minutes (excellent!)
On the whole, Billu Barber is a nice, feel good film with an excellent climax which will surely strike a chord with the viewers. A must for all SRK, Irrfan and Priyadarshan fans!
My rating- ½
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(And also read my review on THE STONEMAN MURDERS: https://mouthshut.com/review/The_Stoneman_Murders-161748-1.html)