Bollywood Movie Review – Billu
Billu – Bollywood Movie Review : Priyadarshan is synonymous with ha-ha-thons, but the talented storyteller has been equally proficient while handling intense dramas like Saza-E-Kala Pani, Gardish and Virasat. Like Virasat and Malamaal Weekly, Billu, the accomplished director’s new outing, is also set in a hamlet.
Although the story has been attempted in Malayalam
[Kadha Parayumbol] and Tamil [Kuselan] earlier, the story actually takes its inspiration from the legendary friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama. In this case, the story talks of the friendship between a superstar and an ordinary mortal who runs a salon.
Billu is a simple story about simple people, told in the most simplistic manner. There’s a generous dose of glamour as well, given the fact that the protagonist’s friend happens to be a superstar, but what actually works for the film is the simpleton’s story. He wages a daily battle to make ends meet.
Although the film is engaging, Priyadarshan reserves the best for the finale this time, when the superstar reminisces about his childhood friend and the deep bond that they shared. The end is remarkable and is sure to strike a chord with all sections of moviegoers.
Final word? Billu is amongst Priyadarshan’s finest works. And also Irrfan and SRK’s. This tale of friendship is sure to steal your heart!
Billu tells the story of a simple ordinary man, Bilas Rao Pardesi [Irrfan Khan], living in a small town with his wife Bindiya [Lara Dutta] and two kids. His life undergoes a drastic change as superstar Sahir Khan [Shahrukh Khan] visits the village for a film shoot. Everything changes. Things go from good to bad to worse to good again.
Ten minutes into the film and you get absorbed into Billu’s small world. The salon is in bad shape, the family is facing tough times, the neighbours and acquaintances are fair-weather friends… Billu’s life gets grim with each passing day.
The story takes an interesting turn when Billu’s life collides with the superstar’s. And the assorted characters right from an aspiring poet/lyricist [Rajpal Yadav], to a stingy money lender [Om Puri], to the principal of the school [Rasika Joshi] everyone wants favours from Billu. These characters only make Billu more interesting.
SRK’s track is equally fascinating and only spices up the proceedings. In fact, Priyadarshan has amalgamated the three songs [featuring SRK with Deepika, Priyanka and Kareena] in the narrative smartly. Not once do you feel that you’re watching two stories concurrently.
The best part of the enterprise is its climax. The superstar recalls his humble beginning and how his friend stood by him in times of crisis. The writing is brilliant and SRK only takes the scene to greater heights with his terrific portrayal.
Priyadarshan is adept at handling relationships and with Billu, he proves he can handle emotions with as much flourish as comedy. To tell a simple, uncomplicated story, without the usual frills, is an arduous task indeed and Priyadarshan tackles the material with remarkable ease. The humour here is subtle, not loud, and a constant smile remains on your face all through.
Mushtaq Shiekh and Priyadarshan’s screenplay is foolproof. In fact, the writing never loses focus and the highs and the lows in Billu’s life are sensitively penned by the duo. Manisha Korde’s dialogues are simple, gelling with the mood of the film.
Pritam’s music is energetic. The songs, promoted aggressively prior to the release, only get an impetus thanks to the presence of the three actresses. ‘Mar Jaani’ and ‘Love Mera Hit Hit’ are, of course, the pick of the lot. V. Manikandan’s cinematography is top notch. The locales [Pollachi] are breath-taking.
In the recent years, Irrfan has emerged as a force to reckon with, his performances have appealed to all strata of moviegoers and his work in Billu will only cement his status as a remarkable actor. Shahrukh Khan needs to be admired for two reasons. The show belongs to Irrfan, although SRK could’ve forced himself in every scene. Also, he has chosen to opt for a film that’s not one of those run-of-the-mill types. In terms of performance, SRK shows his true potential towards the finale.
Lara Dutta springs a pleasant surprise. She goes through her part with complete understanding. Om Puri is excellent. Rasika Joshi is too good. Rajpal Yadav is really funny in the penultimate scene, when he recites a film song of an SRK film. Asrani and Manoj Joshi are passable.
On the whole, Billu is a sweet-n-simple film that lingers in your memory even after the show has concluded. The final 20 minutes are the highpoint of the enterprise and that elevates the status of the film to great heights. The film has the potential to grow with a strong word of mouth. Recommended… Take your family for this one!
- Bollywood Hungama
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I used to believe reviews were supposed to an unbiased take on movies.. judging them and marking them for what they are truly worth. But after reading this one, I am being forced to change my opinion.
“Billu is a sweet-n-simple film that lingers in your memory even after the show has concluded.” I couldn’t have disagreed more on this. It is an advertisement on the King Khan himself. It’s his vehicle to get his views across.. to settle his scores… His lifestyle– exaggerated beyond recognition, His attitude– way over pretentious, His status– he wants us to believe he is only next to God?!?!!!, His being In-demand– that probably is the only point at least close to reality, otherwise the movie would not gone housefull, His name– King Khan– seems self declared..blowing his own trumpet.. quite shameless!,His charitable heart– looked and sounded very artificial and like an exhibition and His humility— very very very put on….Be this grand Show-Off!That is what Billu actually is about. It was like a weirdly sarcastic take on Bollywood by itself!
No comments about what Shah Rukh may or may not be in his real life but there certainly was no need for him to produce such an advertisement of himself and his high n mighty life. No wonder he was taking such special interest in this project. I agree that more often than not Shah Rukh performs beyond our expectations but that does not mean anything he does goes. Doesn’t give him the right to look down upon anybody else or use the medium of cinema to settle scores, answer unrelated questions or show off for that matter. He should not mix real life and reel life..professional and personal. I used to think of him as a sensible, balanced person and from whatever I had heard or seen of him, I was of the opinion that Shah Rukh Khan is a down to earth guy who still remembers his roots.Even if his intentions were good, it was a wrong decision to use Billu to address the media and politician related issues or allegations and speculations about the film industry.
I was deeply saddened to see how another good soul was lost to glamour,fame and glory. I hope he regains what he seems to have lost. I also pray for this to be just a passing phase in his life and for him to stay the simple, true and sincere soul that he earlier seemed to be.
Having said all that and more… I still absolutely admire Shah Rukh Khan’s wit, charm and sense of humour. He is leagues beyond all the others at that. Still stealing hearts with a persona which somehow seems to be exactly what every girl wants and every man would die to have… Above every darkness… beyond the mundane chores..Untouched by daily hassles.. Larger than Life! The ultimate Super Star!
As for the rest of the movie… It was nice! just nice. Feel good movie with a bit of every emotion which an ordinary man usually feels if and when every one around them creates a ruckus to add the prefix ‘extra’ to their very ‘ordinary’ lives. A circus entails. Irrfan was great as usual. His timing and expressions were remarkable. Lara was a discovery. Her subtlety, grace, charm and simple beauty coupled with her easy performance made her one of our own. Loved both of them! Their on-screen kids were good. They were convincing and spontaneous. Rest of the actors were a great bunch.. supporting them throughout. Special mention for Rajpal and Om Puri. Always adore them both. Very Entertaining!
The technical aspects were obviously good. No compromise on that. Songs are a hit,though the lyrics don’t really make much sense. The choreography was well liked but going by the standards Bollywood is setting for itself nowadays, it could have been better.
All in all, I don’t regret watching Billu and I guess, that’s all that matters to me. Still looking forward to visiting the theatre again. Have Fun folks! Thank You.
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