Eros Pictures said it has distributed the film in over 1000 screens worldwide.

However, the film's opening was "not upto the mark" with the opening morning shows registering about 30 to 40 per cent collections in the city, trade sources said.

Kumar Mohan, editor of trade magazine 'Complete Cinema' said the film was good and collections would pick up.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said the film has a potential to grow with a strong word of mouth.

The story has been attempted earlier in Malayalam 'Katha Parayumbol' starring Mamoothy and Sreenivasan and in Tamil 'Kuselan' starring Rajnikant.

Taran said the climax of 'Billu' where the superstar (Shah Rukh) recalls his humble beginnings and how his friend stood by him in times of crisis was the highpoint. "The last 20 minutes elevates the status of the film to greater heights," he said.

However, some viewers who saw the morning show felt that the story was predictable.

Veena who watched the film with her friends this morning said," the surprise package was Lara Dutta who sheds her glamorous image to fit the role of 'Bindiya', Billu's wife.

"Irrfan Khan stands out as the protagonist Billu. The film belongs to Irrfran and it is to the credit of Shah Rukh that he does not attempt to steal the limelight," said Kunal.

Akshat said the scene which refers to film star rivalries and Shah Rukh's character Sahir Khan defending the film industry was very interesting.

Vipul wondered what hairdressers and salon association representatives have gained by demanding that the word 'Barber' be dropped from the title.

"The mention of the word 'Hajam' (hindi meaning of barber) has been beeped in the song 'Billu Bhayankar', but through the lip movements the audience knows what is the word.