barber: must censor awful word...

I was looking forward to the Irrfan Khan starrer Billu Barber out this Friday. But it seems that the word "barber" won't be present in the title as producer Shah Rukh Khan was forced to yank the word out because of protests. This is what Uday Takke, president of a Maharashtran hair association, had to say: "We want Billu Barber to be called Billu Hairdresser as barber is a derogatory and insulting term. We choose hairdressing as a profession because it is an art. Also there are many women hairstylists if Billu Barber becomes a hit, women hairdressers will be called barbers too!"

Huh? Who cares about Mr.Uday Takke's profession? I don't. I am happy that Mr. Takke chose to be a hairdresser. But this movie is not about him nor is it about his friends or employees. It is about a character called Billu. And it is up to the writer, director and producers what they think the title of their film should be.

Although I think there is more to this story. As part of the film's promotions, posters were sent to about 500 barber shops. So this is just a stunt for some people to flex their muscles. Moreover, in India the term barber is not used anyway as it is in North America.

For the record, this is the definition of "barber"

a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, esp. men, and to shave or trim the beard.