# Billu (बिल्लू)
**Billu** (बिल्लू), released in some markets as *Billu Barber*, is a 2009 Hindi comedy-drama directed by [Priyadarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyadarshan), in which a poor village barber's claim of childhood friendship with a visiting Bollywood superstar turns his life upside down. It stars [Irrfan Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/irrfan-khan) as the barber Billu and [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan) as the superstar Sahir Khan, and it is a Hindi remake of the 2007 Malayalam hit *Kadha Parayumbol*.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/movie-review-billu/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 13 February 2009 (India), Hindi language, 137 minutes[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230448/) |
| Director and producer | Priyadarshan; produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment with Eros International[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151) |
| Lead cast | Irrfan Khan as Billu (Vilas Pardesi), Shah Rukh Khan as Sahir Khan, Lara Dutta as Bindiya, Om Puri as Daamchand[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/billu/cast/) |
| Origin | Remake of the Malayalam film *Kadha Parayumbol* (2007), which was also adapted in Tamil as *Kuselan* (2008)[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/movie-review-billu/) • [5](https://epaper.indianchronicledaily.com/media/2025-12/ic-dec-23-2025.pdf) |
| Story basis | A retelling of the Krishna-Sudama friendship tale, with a movie star in place of the king[6](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm) |
| Box office | India net ₹229,150,000 against a ₹270 million (₹27 crore) budget; verdict Flop[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=151) |
| Ratings | IMDb 6.5/10 from about 15,000 votes; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 60% from 5 reviews[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230448/ratings/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Billu (full name Bilas Rao Pardesi) is a barber in the fictional village of Budbuda whose shop is failing; he is in debt and struggles to pay his children's school fees.[10](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/billu/) When the superstar Sahir Khan arrives by helicopter to shoot a film nearby, word spreads that Billu and Sahir were childhood friends, and the villagers begin treating Billu as a celebrity, pressing him to arrange meetings with the star.[11](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/review-billu-barber/story-ia4PZlNy49a2HAvgKKuzKO.html) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber) Billu, intimidated by his old friend's fame and unable to reach him through the heavy security, fails to deliver, and the town turns against him, suspecting he invented the friendship.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber) • [12](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/billu-13349)
The resolution comes at a school function, where Sahir tells the audience about a school friend who fed him when he was hungry, gave him clothes, and sold his ancestral earring to pay for him to pursue acting; the friend, he reveals, is Billu.[12](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/billu-13349) Reviewers identified the frame as the folklore of Lord Krishna and his poor childhood friend Sudama, with the king replaced by a movie star.[6](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/movie-review-billu/)
## Production and cast
The film was written by P. Srinivasan (story), with a screenplay by Mushtaq Sheikh and Priyadarshan and dialogue by Manisha Korde.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151) The supporting cast includes [Om Puri](https://www.edgepedia.org/om-puri) as the businessman Daamchand, Rajpal Yadav as Jhalan Kumar, Asrani as Mobat Chacha, and Manoj Joshi as Damodar Dubey.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151) Filming took place in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, standing in for a north Indian village.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230448/) • [13](https://www.timeout.com/movies/billu-barber)
Shah Rukh Khan, whose company produced the film, plays a heightened version of his own star persona; reviewers noted that he mocks his own celebrity, including the media's "Khan versus Khan" rivalry narrative, and that the film's song sequences are built on his image.[6](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm) • [10](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/billu/) Three item numbers feature Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and [Deepika Padukone](https://www.edgepedia.org/deepika-padukone) performing with him.[6](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm)
## Music
Pritam composed the score, with lyrics by Ashish Pandit, Sayeed Quadri, Neeraj Shridhar, and Gulzar.[14](https://teamshahrukhkhan.com/movie-details/billu/) Songs cited by reviewers include "Khudaya Khair", "Marjaani", and "Jaun Kahan".[12](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/billu-13349)
## Title change
The film was announced and marketed as *Billu Barber*, and several English-language outlets still list it under that title.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber) It was subsequently retitled simply *Billu*; the review aggregator TheReviewMonk notes it is "formerly 'Billu Barber'".[15](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/billu/)
## Reception
**Critical response.** Reviews were mixed but frequently singled out Irrfan Khan. The Times of India gave it 3 out of 5, calling it "a moving ode to friendship and ordinariness" and praising Irrfan for investing "the ordinary with kingly glow".[16](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/billu/movie-review/4117141.cms) Raja Sen of Rediff.com rated it 2.5 out of 5, calling it a naive children's film that becomes tiresome, but describing Shah Rukh Khan's roughly twelve-minute closing monologue to the village schoolchildren as "a truly brave monologue" that elevates the film.[6](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm) Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote that except for a couple of sequences that hit the emotional spot, the film lacked the drama that would have made it memorable, while advising readers to watch it for Irrfan's portrayal of a poor man's self-respect.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/movie-review-billu/) Anupama Chopra of NDTV called it "oddly staid and passionless" but acknowledged a moving climax.[17](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/725/billu-hindi-movie-review/review) Time Out gave it 4 out of 5, calling it wholesome family entertainment that never soft-pedals the trials of an ordinary Indian.[13](https://www.timeout.com/movies/billu-barber) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 60% Tomatometer from 5 reviews.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber)
**Box office.** The film underperformed commercially. Box Office India records a first-day net of ₹3,78,00,000, a first week of ₹17,53,00,000, and a lifetime India net gross of ₹229,150,000 against a budget of ₹270 million (₹27 crore), with a verdict of Flop; its worldwide gross was ₹474,512,500.[7](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=151) Sacnilk, which compiles figures from multiple sources, reports a slightly different total of ₹461.3 million (₹46.13 crore) worldwide on a ₹240 million (₹24 crore) budget and labels the verdict Below Average.[18](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Billu_2009) A later industry retrospective noted that although the Hindi version grossed ₹474.5 million (₹47.45 crore) worldwide against a ₹270 million (₹27 crore) budget, it did not meet expectations, unlike the Malayalam original, while the Tamil version *Kuselan* underperformed and drew negative reviews.[5](https://epaper.indianchronicledaily.com/media/2025-12/ic-dec-23-2025.pdf)
## Legacy
The film's reputation has improved since its release among viewers who revisit it as a story about friendship, ego, and dignity rather than a star vehicle.[10](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/billu/) It remains available on streaming services including Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber)
## References
1. [Billu, cast and credits, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=151)
2. [Movie review: Billu, Shubhra Gupta, The Indian Express (13 February 2009)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/movie-review-billu/)
3. [Billu (2009), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230448/)
4. [Billu cast list, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/billu/cast/)
5. [Indian Chronicle e-paper, 23 December 2025 (retrospective on Kadha Parayumbol remakes)](https://epaper.indianchronicledaily.com/media/2025-12/ic-dec-23-2025.pdf)
6. [Take your kids to Billu, Raja Sen, Rediff.com (13 February 2009)](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-billu/20090213.htm)
7. [Billu, box office, Box Office India](https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=151)
8. [Billu (2009), ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230448/ratings/)
9. [Billu Barber, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/billu-barber)
10. [Billu (2009): Plot, Cast & Where to Watch, Pulse of Cinema](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/billu/)
11. [Review: Billu Barber, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/review-billu-barber/story-ia4PZlNy49a2HAvgKKuzKO.html)
12. [Billu (2009), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/billu-13349)
13. [Billu Barber review, Anil Sinanan, Time Out (16 February 2009)](https://www.timeout.com/movies/billu-barber)
14. [Billu, Team Shah Rukh Khan filmography page](https://teamshahrukhkhan.com/movie-details/billu/)
15. [Billu (2009) critic reviews, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/billu/)
16. [Billu Movie Review {3/5}, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/billu/movie-review/4117141.cms)
17. [Billu Hindi movie critic reviews, Moviecrow](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/725/billu-hindi-movie-review/review)
18. [Billu (2009-02-13), review, rating and box office collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Billu_2009)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Comedy films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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