It's
final.
Billu
Barber
will
now
be
called
Billu.
And
the
director
Priyadarshan
seems
resigned
to
the
title's
fate.
"I'm
in
Chennai.
Mr.
Producer
Shahrukh
tells
me
all
the
posters
hoarding
with
credits
will
blacken
out
the
word
'Barber'.
If
it
was
hurting
anyone's
sentiments
I'm
okay
by
it."
In
a
flash
move
to
appease
the
hairdressers'
associations
of
Mumbai,
the
premiere
of
Billu
in
Mumbai
later
this
week
will
exclusively
invite
members
of
various
barbers'
and
hairstylists'
associations.
Priyadarshan
reveals
Billu's
premiere
plans.
"As
far
as
I
know,
Shahrukh
is
planning
a
premiere
for
the
various
barbers
and
hairdressers'
associations,
so
they'd
see
and
know
that
the
film
doesn't
ridicule
them
in
any
way.
In
fact
Billu
is
homage
to
the
hair-cutting
technique.
I
can't
understand
how
there
can
be
a
protest
about
the
film
or
its
title
without
anyone
seeing
the
film."
The
premiere,
according
to
Priyan,
won't
invite
Shahrukh's
friends
from
the
industry,
only
members
of
the
hair-cutting
community.
Priyadarshan
wonders
how
the
word
'Barber'
could
be
okay
in
other
languages
and
not
in
Hindi.
"Does
it
mean
half
the
Indian
population
is
not
put
off
by
the
title
and
the
other
half
is
upset
about
it?
I
don't
understand
the
controversy.
And
I've
left
it
entirely
to
my
producer
Shahrukh
Khan
to
deal
with
it."
Priyan
has
no
plans
of
being
in
Mumbai
for
the
release
of
Billu.
"I've
done
my
best.
And
Irrfan
Khan
in
the
title
role
is
the
best
homage
that
can
be
paid
to
any
profession." Priyan
does
wonder,
and
so
do
we,
if
we
as
a
collective
nation
protest
too
much.
Story first published: Thursday, February 12, 2009, 15:51 [IST]