Billu

Billu is a barber in a small village. His shop is doing badly, he is in debt and cannot manage his children's school fees. Word reaches the village: a famous film star is coming to shoot there. Everyone is excited. One day Billu tells his wife that years ago, as children, he and that actor were friends. The word spreads. After that everyone asks him for a favour: arrange a meeting, get a signature, make an introduction. He cannot, because he cannot reach the actor, and the village takes him for a liar. Priyadarshan directs. Irrfan Khan plays Billu and Shah Rukh Khan plays the film star. The film is a remake of a Malayalam production; the original told the same story and it was adapted in several languages in India. What the narrative is interested in is the fragility not of fame but of standing; Billu is safe only as long as the village respects him. Irrfan Khan carries the film and the character never raises his voice. Shah Rukh Khan is not the lead here; he uses his own star image as part of the narrative and the song sections are built on it. The emotional peak is in the last section and the film deliberately holds back until then. Its limit is structure; the songs break the narrative and the running time stretches. Who it is for: viewers who like Indian family drama and Irrfan Khan. Who it is not for: the emotional register is high, the ending is what you expect, and the songs stand outside the narrative.