Film: Billu

Director: Priyadarshan

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Lara Dutta, Irrfan Khan, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Rajpal Yadav

Rating: 2/5

Kuselan, the Tamil film starring Rajnikanth primarily celebrated the fact that he is a Superstar. It was all about sheer indulgence and more of a branding reaffirmation exercise than anything else. Billu is a dismal remake of the same film and the sad part is that instead of taking off or adding to the Tamil film, it actually is a step down.

The film beyond the fact that seems like a celebration of being King Khan unravels the life of a small town barber, Billu (Irrfan Khan). When famous actor Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) comes to Billu's villiage to shoot for a film, it is Billu's life that turns to hell.

Once a friend of the super star; Billu is faced with pressure from fellow villagers to have him set up a meeting with the actor. But the long lost friends seem to have grown apart and the poor barber has no way of reminding the famous actor about their shared history. Put in an awkward spot, circumstances lead Billu to lie on various occasions till eventually he is cornered. What follows is the revealing of the humble beginnings of a Superstar, one happy Barber and a super cheerful Villiage.

Take the driving of super stardom out of the film and you've got yourself this sweet and sensitive film; add it and you are left to find that sweet film amidst the hullabaloo of an iconic star status of one man. The biggest problem with Billu is the fact that there are two stories being told here and they come together only towards the end of the film. That's not even the main problem; the problem lies in the unconvincing manner in which the two lives meet.

It's like unlike any other Priyadarshan film and honestly one doesn't think that's a good thing. The film is neither funny like all his other film, nor as beautifully told as Kanchipuram is. What's also evident is the fact that at every point where the film slows down or has nothing new to tell, in comes scenes with Khan or a song to pick it up.

If that were to add to the film, its great, but the fact that it doesn't do...