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Cast:
Shah Rukh Khan, Irfaan Khan, Asrani, Lara
Dutta |
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Special Appearance:
Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, |
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Deepika Padukone |
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Year:
2008 |
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Music:
Pritam
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Lyrics: Gulzar |
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Screenplay:
Manisha Korde, Mushtaq Sheikh |
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Banner:
Red Chillies Entertainment |
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Producer:
Gauri Khan |
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Director:
Priyadarshan |
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| AYou can
snip off the 'barber' from Billu, but you cannot take off
Billu from Barber. In other words, you can get Irrfan Khan
to alienate himself from his persona, but you cannot get the
actor to get away from his character! His act is complete.
And his Billu is a believable character, who could be you.
Irrfan
fascinates in his portrayal of a struggling family man with
a wife and two kids, with no knowledge of where is next
income will come from. His barber's shop in a village in
Gudgude is doing bad business, he has no clients left and
even his barbers chair can give way any moment. His acerbic
tongue, peppered with humour (the joke life has played on
him is evident here) does not leave him with many friends
and he is constantly requesting the school principal for
more time to pay off his children's school fees. Even his
children take off after him, where giving a repartee is
concerned. BILLU takes it all in good humour and continues
his struggle while adding some laugh to his measly
existence. His wife (Lara Dutta) is a perfect foil to his
character. No one understands Billu better than her. |
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Then,
one fine day, the village is in a tizzy. Shahir Khan
(Shahrukh Khan), the reigning superstar of Bollywood,
has chosen this very village for his next film's
shooting. Suddenly there is news of him being
Billu's friend. The whole village takes a U-turn.
The Principal comes to his home to give him the good
news that his children's education will now be
funded from the school Trust and all he has to do is
to get Shahir Khan to their school function. Billu's
dilemma has just begun. There are |
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hordes of other
such requests, which Billu cannot deny and he portrays it
brilliantly with his eyes and body language.
So, does Billu
really know Shahir Khan? This is the suspense that
Priyadarshan builds up. And as a viewer, you are impatient
to know the truth as well. Billu does not help matters, with
him not forthcoming with any information. Even when his wife
asks him whether he really knows the superstar all he says
with a wry smile is, ''What difference does it make.'' You
wonder then what BILLU is all about.
Priyadarshan
has veered slightly away from his trademark comedy and he
handles the subject with sensitivity. Yes, there is his
humour, where one scene in particular has you in splits,
where the hotel manager requests Shahir for a bit role in
the film. On the whole, he juxtaposes the lives of two
contrasting characters to make for an inspiring climax.
All Shahrukh Khan has to do is play himself. It comes off
effortlessly. In one scene, where one of the school trustees
tries to get too familiar, he puts him in place in his own
inimitable way. He also refers to the ''Khan fights,'' as
something that happens in any family and ''this film
industry is one big family.'' His speech to the
schoolchildren is inspiring; full marks to the scriptwriter.
Here is when he tells the kids of this being the best years
of their life. |
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Here is when he reminisces of the best years of his
life and of the time when he had nothing and how a
friend helped him out. Sharing his tiffin in school,
because he never had food, inspiring him and
regaling him with impersonations of film stars, thus
igniting in him a desire to reach for the stars;
giving him a hair cut sneaking into his father's
saloon and even selling off his earrings and giving
him the money to go to the city to pursue his
dreams. That was the last he saw of BILLU. |
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Billu who is at the venue with his wife is
teary-eyed. His wife looks back with such pride that their
whole relationship is captured in one freezing moment. Never
once had he mentioned what relationship he shared with the
superstar. Shahir comes home to meet his Billu. The reunion
is poignant. Both the Khans elevate the scene with their
power-packed emotional performance.
While Irrfan is outstanding, SRK lends his class and appeal
to the script. Lara Dutta is a revelation. She blends well
into Billu's life. Irfan's kids played by Pratik Dalvi and
Mitali Mayekar are first rate. The rest of the cast combine
well with their support. What's surprising is that
Priyadarshan has got the usually 'over the top' Rasika Joshi
(the school principal) to give a restrained performance.
The director has got the mood and feel of the film
spot on. This movie has soul. It will move you. |
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