superlative movie the latter was an average one which bombed at the box-office. Thankfully Billu Barber is inspired mostly from Katha Parayumbol than its Tamil counterpart (Priyadarshan is usually very faithful to Malayalam originals), but still the magic seemed a little missing.

The story is about a poor Barber, Billu in a village which is filled with lively people. Billu lives with his wife and two children and leads a content life. But his life changes when Sahir Khan (Shahrukh) arrives to that village for a film’s shooting and the whole village gets animated. The people come to know that Billu is an old friend of Sahir and start showering him with a lot of help in hope of getting close to Sahir Khan. Billu is a little skeptical that Sahir would have forgotten him, and wouldn't recognize him. Will Sahir remember Billu? Will the old friends meet again? Find out yourself in a theatre near you.

The movie is a decent one which has its moments but the slow pace and too many songs make you restless. Priyadarshan proves once again how competent a director he is, with too many characters the need for a professional at the helm is a must and who better than Priyadarshan? But he does loose his grip when too many unwanted songs are added and the second half moves at a snail pace.

Technically the movie is decent with cinematographer Manikandan's work clear as crystal but with steady cams mostly he is in no mood to experiment. Editing by Arun Kumar is a let down and snipping at least 20 minutes off the running time would do a world of good to the film. Music by Pritam has nothing to write home about, and none of the songs stay with you after the end of the screening. Dialogues by Manisha Korde and Mushtaq needs special mention as it makes the proceedings enjoyable.

Acting wise, Irfan khan comes up with a performance which is extremely enjoyable and this is sure to make him a hit among the masses. Lara Dutta comes up with a brilliant performance, she is a complete natural as a homely house wife. There is a battalion of supporting artists but among whom Om Puri and Rajpal yadav impresses us the most. Shahrukh as Sahir Khan is good but still has to work on his emotions, especially his emotional sequence at the climax.

Overall Billu Barber is a decent one time watch. The climax is the high point of the movie and some of the dialogues does crack you up. Go for it but I would recommend Katha Parayumbol if you had not yet seen it.

Verdict: Slow and songs don't always win