Film Review: 'Billu' Starring Shahrukh Khan

February 30 2009 13:55 PST

The Story:
'BIllu' (formerly 'Billu Barber') is of a poor man named Billas Pardesi (Irrfan Khan), known to villagers simply as Billu the barber. His family is in turmoil and his business is losing money until a movie begins filming in the small village with a big actor named Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) who is rumored to be Billu's friend. This turn of events bring momentary luck into Billu and his family's lives until the town turns against him.

Irrfan Khan as Billu - A simple, honest man trying to make enough money to take care of his family.

Shahrukh Khan as Sahir - A hot shot actor who everyone loves obsessively.

Lara Dutt as Bindiya - Billu's beautiful wife who is outspoken, but dutiful and is just as obsessed about meeting Sahir as the rest of the town.

Om Puri as Sahukaar Daamchand - The town crook who controls everyone in the village and is trying to get Billu to fall into his trap.

Cast:
Irrfan Khan as Billu
Shahrukh Khan as Sahir
Lara Dutt as Bindiya
Om Puri as Sahukaar Daamchand
Priyanka Chopra as Herself (Cameo)
Kareena Kapoor as Female Lead (Cameo)
Deepika Padukone as Female Lead (Cameo)

Crew:
Distributor: Eros Entertainment
Production House: Red Chillies Entertainment
Director: Priyadarshan
Story & Screenplay: Manisha Korde, Mushtaq Sheikh, and Sreenivasan
Choreography: Pony Verma
Lyrics: Pritam

What Works:
The film uses a storyline that has been reproduced and resurrected in many different forms, but somehow manages to make it fresh. The theme of using Shahrukh Khan to play more or less himself on a much grander scale adds much needed humor to the film. Meanwhile everything from the filming, the music, and the believability of the characters keeps the audience interested.

What Doesn't Work:
The movie seems to be a little boring in the beginning. It almost feels like it is reaching for a plot and yet by the end this feeling disappears. There are parts where the speeches the actors give are repetitive and take away from the message.

The Soundtrack:
The film's soundtrack is strangely diverse and yet oftentimes forgettable. It is a mixture of both East and West influences, but seems to get lost in the film. The remixes don't help in redeeming some of the tracks, but songs like "Mar Jaani" are really great.

Slated Or Rated?

Rated! This movie can start out a little boring, but by the end the message comes through and the audience feels a certain amount of attachment to the characters. The tired, cliche story of the underdog seems to still bring some hope and inspiration after watching "Billu".

4 out of 5

Critic: Phylis J. Iqbal

Billu screen shot