Director: Priyadarshan
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor
Information: Contains mild language and violence
Running time: 137mins
BBFC cert: PG
Release date: 13 February 2009 by EROS International
Rating: 4/5
Billu (Irrfan), a humble, conservative village barber is finding difficult to make ends meet. With business at an all time low, his dilapidated barber shop is forced to compete with the newly opened hairdressing saloon nearby.
As household debts mount up, Billu’s kids are thrown out of school and electricity is cut off at home. Into his despaired life, enters childhood friend, Sahir (Khan), now a Bollywood superstar.
He comes to his village for on-location shooting unaware that his long lost friend lives there. In no time, Billu’s miserly existence is elevated by the villagers, eager to meet the popular film hero.
His shop gets a new makeover by a miserly money lender whilst his kids are taken back into school free of charge.
But all along, poverty stricken Billu, is too embarrassed to face the superstar fearing he may not recognise him. Branded a liar and an outcaste by the villagers, an emotionally charged climax reveals all.
Director Priyadarshan depicts this simple story of friendship with wit and emotions. He ingeniously weaved dance numbers involving Kareena, Priyanka and Deepika in between Billu’s life struggles. This makes the story flow effortlessly to an absorbing end.
As required, King Khan effortlessly provides a good measure of glamour and glitz of the Hindi film star, Sahir. His emotional speech in the climax scenes not only leave you moist-eyed but also form the best part of the whole film.
Irrfan Khan is the real star revealing his excellent ‘method acting’ skills. Your heart goes out to this penniless, humble barber.
Supporting actors Om Puri, Asrani and Rajpal Yadav provide the rib-tickling scenes thanks to the director‘s detailed characterisation.
On the whole this sincere melodrama of friendship between a rich man and a poor man is engagingly shown with a gripping, tear-jerking climax.
Reviewed By Manish Gajjar
BBC Bollywood Correspondent
