BILLU BARBER
India, 2009, 137 minutes, Colour.
Irrfan Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Om Puri.
Directed by Priyardashan.
If an audience wanted to see a Bollywood film and had to make a selection, Billu Baba would be one to decide to see. It has the strength of international stars including Irfan Khan (The Namesake, The Warrior) and veteran Om Puri. It also stars the most celebrated of Bollywood musical stars – Shahrukh Khan. He appears as a variation on himself, a star performing and making a film.
The story opens simply, the focus on a poor barber in a town, threatened by a rival salon. He can’t make ends meet and has difficulty paying for his children’s education at school. The film suddenly makes a transition to an absurd musical number set in outer space. It is then explained, satirically, that this is a song and dance intended for a film to be made. The decision is made to film in the barber’s village. When it gets around that the barber has been a friend of the star, everybody wants to meet him including the members of the school board, the local gangster (Om Puri as a big fish in a very little pool). However, the barber does not want to meet his friend and resists. When he is forced to go near the set, he causes an uproar and a riot and fails in the mission. The townspeople turn against him as a fraud.
Into this are inserted quite a number of songs – for the film, lavish in their frequent change of costume, a master class in editing of how to present a song on screen. There is also a song in honour of the barber.
However, the film has a very happy ending, the star makes a big speech to the schoolchildren about his friend from schooldays whom he has lost contact with, the barber hears it, the star comes to his home – and there is a happy reconciliation.
The film is interesting in its presentation of making a Bollywood film, a picture of life in a poorer village – and some satirical attitudes and jokes and barbs at its selected targets, especially films and pomposity.
1.An entertaining Indian film? Bollywood style?
2.The appeal of this style for Indian audiences? Worldwide audiences? The Indian landscapes, the village, the way of life? The people? The film-making, colour, glamour? Music and song? The romantic plot, the happy endings?
3.The focus on the village, poverty, way of life? The contrast with Mumbai, the studios, the expense for making a film on location? The sets, the costumes?
4.Billu, his work as a barber, few customers, his melancholic attitude? The rival across the street? The people playing card games outside the barber’s shop? At home, his wife and her expectations, making do? The children, going to school? Their being ashamed of their father? His not being able to pay the fees, the interview with the principal? His pride and his wanting to support his family?
5.The contrast with the inserted musical number, space, aliens? The humorous explanation – a planned song for a planned film? The actor and his deciding to film in the village?
6.The arrival of the film-makers, setting up, the hotel and the manager, his wanting a role (and his later fiasco with the many takes)? The entourage, the security, the star and the previous controversial film? The producers? The secretary protecting the star? The sets, location photography, the songs and dances, the people watching?
7.Billu and the fact that he knew the star? Not wanting to make anything of it? The school and the visit to his house, asking him to get the star to come to the celebration? The local chief, his wanting to meet the star? His meanness, cheap goods? Cheap hospital? His buying all the material for Billu? Setting him up, the rival across the street and jealousy?
8.Billu, his wife wanting to see the star, the children? His refusal? Being persuaded to go, trying to make the phone call, lack of success? Up the tree, the fall? The creation of the riot? The people turning on Billu, accusing him of fraud?
9.His uncle and his continued support? The poetry writer, his verse? His turning against Billu? The intervention of the rival barber?
10.The arrest, Billu in prison? Accused of fraud? The role of the police? His returning home?
11.The wife wanting to see the star, the children going? His accompanying his wife? His point about her love for him whether he knew the star or not?
12.The star, his personality, genial? His going to the orphans, having the meal with them, the speech? The meeting with the school board, the pompous man and his pretensions, his refusal to go – the principal persuading him?
13.The school, all the ceremonial, the banners? The pompous man wanting to put a lei on the actor’s shoulders? The school board member and his offering him a speech, locking him in the room? The star’s arrival? His making a speech, the long speech praising his friend, Billu listening, leaving?
14.The star coming to the house, the reconciliation, Billu and his feeling that his friend would not remember him? The star and his complete gratitude towards Billu? The happiness of the wife and children?
15.The people, acknowledging Billu and his friendship? The songs in honour of Billu?
16.An Indian story, Indian feelings – with universal appeal?
