Billa (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Billa is a 2007 Tamil gangster
-thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan
. Based on the 1980 Tamil film of the same name
and the 2006 Hindi film
, Don: The Chase Begins Again, it was adapted by the director, who rewrote portions of the film from the original. Ajith Kumar
and Nayantara
played the lead roles while Prabhu Ganesan
, Namitha, Rahman
, Adithya
and Santhanam were also part of the cast. The film was produced by L. Suresh, while featuring musical score and soundtrack by Yuvan Shankar Raja
, cinematography by Nirav Shah
and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad
.
The project commenced in April 2007 and was released and distributed worldwide by Ayngaran International
on December 14, 2007. The film, upon release, emerged a high financial success, and was selected to be screened at the 61st Cannes Film Festival
. Billas success led to a further remake
in Telugu
the following year and spawned a prequel
, which is currently in production.
), featured on Interpol
’s criminal list, is hiding and operating out of Malaysia. DSP Jayaprakash (Prabhu
) has spent the last few years looking for Billa, leaving behind a life in India.
During a chase with the police Billa is severely wounded after an accident and dies in front of the DSP. The DSP then secretly holds a burial of Billa. Interpol officer Gokulnath (Rahman
) is assigned to work with DSP Jayaprakash to capture elusive Billa as no-one knows of Billa's death. DSP Jayaprakash keeps the death of Billa as a secret even from his fellow officers, and tracks down a look-alike called Saravana Velu (Ajith Kumar
), a lowly pick-pocket. He asks Velu to infiltrate Billa's gang by pretending to be Billa. In return he will make sure that the child Velu adopted, Karan, gets a proper education.
The DSP trains Velu and sends him back to Billa's gang as a person who has lost his memory. Slowly Velu starts to learn about Billa's gang and even speaks to Jagdish, Billa's boss, on the phone. Velu provides a pen drive with the secret information of the crime network to the DSP, but he is about to be killed by Sasha (Nayantara
) because her brother Rajesh as well as her fiance Rhea (Rose Dawn
) were killed by Billa. At this juncture, the DSP arrives and tells her that he is Velu and not Billa. Later before a party, Velu secretly provides information to the DSP about a meeting of Billa's network and C.J. (Namitha), Billa's girlfriend, overhears his conversation. She challenges Velu but in the fight, he accidentally kills her. A shootout occurs at the party and the DSP is secretly killed by Jagdish, leaving his gun behind. Velu finds the DSP's body and the gun, but is taken into the custody of the police team, now headed by Interpol Officer Gokulnath. He argues during interrogation that he is Velu and not Billa to Gokulnath. Velu mentions a piece of evidence - the pen drive which may prove his innocence but the pen drive is nowhere to be found.
Unable to prove his innocence, he escapes from a police van. He phones Gokulnath and ask him to meet at the Aero bridge. Here it is revealed that Gokulnath is none other than the Underworld Crime Don Jagdish and he is the one who killed Jayprakash.
Officer Anil Menon apparently had the pen drive all along and strikes a deal with Velu to get hold of Jagdish. Meanwhile, Sasha and Karan have been kidnapped by Jagdish and wants the pen drive in return for it. Velu meets Ranjith and gives him a second pen drive with the same data, but corrupted. When Ranjith tries to kill Velu, a scuffle ensues making Ranjith fall from the top. In a final confrontation, Jagdish fights with Velu. Jagdish posing as Gokulnath asks the police to arrest Velu as Billa but gets shot by the squad of police and dies as the police have wired the entire conversation between Jagdish and Velu, thus proving his innocence. Velu finally hands over the original pen drive to Officer Menon.
had directed three films, Kurumbu, Arinthum Ariyamalum
and Pattiyal
, two of which were successful. Billa, was started after a debacle surrounding his other venture, Sarvam
, which was eventually postponed to make way for Billa.
In an interview, Vishnuvardhan mentioned that he had "twice missed out on the chance to direct him [Ajith Kumar]. The third time when I got a chance to direct him, I made sure that I would not miss it. I was all ready to write a good script for him but he said, he wanted me to remake Billa", confirming it was Ajith Kumar's idea. The film was originally announced, provisionally after the release of the Bollywood
film, Don: The Chase Begins Again - which was a remake of the yesteryear film with the same name from 1978
. Also from the 1978 version of Don, a remake was made in 1980 into Tamil, called Billa
. 2007's Billa drew inspirations from these three versions. Suresh Balaji, who had acted in the yesteryear version of Billa, acquired the rights to produce the film. The film became the second Tamil film to be remade from its yesteryear version after Naan Avanillai.
After the official announcement of the production company, the director and the cameraman, Vishnuvardhan
and Nirav Shah
began to select other members of the cast and the crew to be a part of the Billa team, Ajith Kumar
could not assist in helping choose the other members. On 13 April 2007, the eve of Tamil New Year's Day, the launch of Billa took place at the AVM
studios in Vadapalani
, Chennai
. Among the attendees were the stars of the old cast, Rajnikanth
, Sripriya, Suresh Balaji as well as noted directors Mani Rathnam, Dharani
, K. S. Ravikumar
, and Saran
. The confirmed cast uptil the date of the launch also were invited, among them being Ajith Kumar
along with his wife, Shalini; Nayanthara, Namitha and Prabhu Ganesan
.
in the dual lead role, previously played by Rajnikanth
, the rest of the cast took nearly four months to finalize. The role essayed by Sripriya in the original, was given to Nayantara
in early 2007, controversially after Bollywood
actress, Isha Sherwani, who had been in contention to act in the last few movies of Ajith Kumar
, was paid the advance. Vishnuvardhan reported that he was pleased with Nayanthara's role in, E
and subsequently opted for her. The other lead female role in the film was initially written for Shriya Saran
, but due to her contract with Sivaji: The Boss, she refused to accept the film. Despite other actreses such as Trisha Krishnan
, Reema Sen
, Asin Thottumkal
and Bhanu being considered, the role was eventually given to Pooja Umashankar
. However, she refused the role, citing that she was reluctant to appear in a bikini
, as the role required. Subsequently, Namitha, another actress was signed up for the role.
The remaining members of the cast were selected subsequently after the launch, which was held on 13 April 2007. Despite early reports of Prakash Raj
playing the role enacted by Suresh Balaji of an inspector in the original, the role was eventually bagged by Prabhu Ganesan
. The role of the comedian was tipped to go Vadivelu
, after he received rave reviews for his comic chemistry in Chandramukhi
with Rajinikanth, however, despite the reviews, Vishnuvardhan's regular pattern meant that the spotlight for a comedian will be limited. Santhanam replaced him and became a part of the project, as did another character artiste, Adithya
also signed up to be one of the members of the police troupe, as did Malayalam actor, Rahman
, who with Billa, made his comeback into Tamil cinema
. The item number
, danced by Helen in the original was originally given to Mumaith Khan
, but was later changed to newcomer, Rose Dawn
, for unknown reasons. Other reports claimed that popular Tamil actor, Srikanth was to act as the father of the children Ajith raises in the film (the role earlier played by Thengai Srinivasan
), but soon the report was denied and the character was not included in the film.
For his crew, Vishnuvardhan picked his preferred technicians; with Sujatha as the dialogue writer, Nirav Shah
as the cinematographer, William Ong as the stunt master, Thotta Tharani
as the art director, Pa. Vijay as the chief lyricist and A. Sreekar Prasad
as the editor. Vishnuvardhan's orthodox music composer, Yuvan Shankar Raja
was chosen, creating great expectations for the project, while Vishnuvardhan's wife, Anu, debuted as a costume designer. The film was entirely shot in Malaysia at locations including Langkawi
, Kuala Lumpur
overlooking the Petronas Towers and other parts.
, Arinthum Ariyamalum
and Pattiyal
) with Yuvan Shankar Raja
. The soundtrack has 6 songs, while lyrics were penned by Pa. Vijay. Since the film was a remake, two songs from the original soundtrack, composed by M. S. Viswanathan
, were remixed and included in the soundtrack. The formal release of the soundtrack of Billa was held on 26 November 2007 at Hotel Residence Towers in Chennai
. The album had achieved record audio sales. Sify
reported that it had took the "best ever audio opening" for an Ajith Kumar
film and the second highest opening day sales recorded in 2007 after Sivaji: The Boss. Nearly 22,000 CDs and cassettes were said to be sold out by the first day evening all over Tamil Nadu.
The album received very positive reviews. Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff noted that Billas music "rocks" and gave it four out of five. The reviewer wrote: "Yuvan Shankar Raja has etched an intricate musical feast to compliment the tale -- and quite a feast it's turned out to be, a la the original". She concluded The guitar
-ridden theme song was the most appreciated song, with a reviewer from Indiaglitz.com writing that the track was a "masterly work from young Yuvan... [which]... takes us to a different world", while another reviewer from Behindwoods wrote that it was the "soul of the film" which "stands out as the highlight of the album, giving that eerie feel required of a film about a don" and an "interesting composition with arrangements that spell international quality".
for 25 crore. The film became the second highest grossing film of the year. In Chennai alone it collected 5.20 crore. In Kerala
, it was reported to have grossed more than Malayalam films featuring Mammootty
and Mohanlal
, while also having surpassed Rajinikanth's Sivaji: The Bosss collections. It became biggest commercial success in Ajith's career, beating his previous year's blockbuster Varalaru.
lauded the film, writing: Billa delivers the goods with its great star cast, a designer look, technical glitz, perfect chemistry making it an entertainment extravaganza". The reviewer claimed that it was the "first designer-look Kollywood film with classy action cuts" and a "technically chic, racy, engrossing entertainer with a Hollywood look", going on to call it "racy & rocking". The critic also heaped praise on the lead actor: "Ajith looks sensational and clearly he is at home, playing dual roles of Billa and Velu. He is suave, dashing, and debonair and has terrific screen presence which makes the film work big time. You just cannot think of any other actor in Tamil donning the role made memorable by Rajinikanth". Behindwoods rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "...where Vishnu Vardhan scores is in his crystal clear vision. He doesn’t want to challenge the original nor change its content. All he wants to do is to repackage it stylishly for today’s trend with some present avant-garde styles in film making. The deliberate attempts by the director not to follow the super star’s style are palpable in every frame which has made Billa stand out tall and high". In regard of Ajith Kumar's presence, the reviewer said: "Ajith as the ruthless David Billa is a revelation. Stylish, menacing and electrifying, he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and has completely lived up to it. Rajinikanth can definitely be proud of his successor he has chosen for the tough job".
Mythili Ramachandran of Nowrunning.com wrote: Billa [...] lives up to its hype and Ajith simply rocks", rating it 3 out of 5. Another reviewer from the same site, gave the same rating, citing: "Billa [...] is slick and stylish in keeping with the present modern world...View the movie from technical angle and it is undoubtedly in par with Hollywood movies. What a pulsating thriller it has turned out to be". In contrast, TSV Hari from Rediff wrote that the film "disappoints" and gave it 2.5 out of 5, further claiming: "Director Vishnuvardhan seems to have been in a dilemma as to whether to focus on Ajith or give the film well-etched characters. There are too many diversions in the form of female cleavages in the rain forests of Malaysia and garish sets".
was planning to make a sequel, to be produced by Ocher Studios in association with Warner Bros.
However, the sequel did not materialize and the idea was dropped, with Ajith Kumar, Vishnuvardhan and Soundarya getting busy with other projects.
In mid-2010, sources confirmed that Vishnuvardhan had finished penning the script for a prequel and that Ajith Kumar would reprise the titular character. The project became officially announced in late 2010, after Ajith Kumar signed up and first production poster were published to the media. Suresh Balaje, son of producer and actor K. Balaje, who produced the original Billa with Rajinikanth, and George Pius from Wide Angle Creations banner, were confirmed as the producer, who associated with Mumbai-based IN Entertainment Limited, a Hinduja group company
. However, in a turn of events, Vishnuvardhan was replaced by Chakri Toleti
, and a new script was written by Toleti and his assistants. The prequel is currently in production and slated for a release in April 2012.
Mob film
Mob films are a subgenre of crime films dealing with organized crime, often the Mafia. Especially in early mob films, there is some overlap with film noir.-History:...
-thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan
Vishnuvardhan (director)
Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran, often credited simply as Vishnuvardhan, is an Indian film director. A one-time associate of Santosh Sivan he made his directorial debut in 2003 with Kurumbu, which did not fare well at the box office...
. Based on the 1980 Tamil film of the same name
Billa (1980 film)
Billa is a 1980 Tamil film produced by K.Balaji and directed by R.Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajinikanth, Suresh Balaje, Thengai Srinivasan, Manorama, Sripriya, Reena Roy and Major Sundarrajan...
and the 2006 Hindi film
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
, Don: The Chase Begins Again, it was adapted by the director, who rewrote portions of the film from the original. Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
and Nayantara
Nayantara
Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...
played the lead roles while Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
, Namitha, Rahman
Rahman (actor)
Rahman is an Indian film actor who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films...
, Adithya
Adithya
Adithya , is an Indian film actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an atheist.- Filmography:-External links:...
and Santhanam were also part of the cast. The film was produced by L. Suresh, while featuring musical score and soundtrack by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
, cinematography by Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad
A. Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad better known as Sreekar Prasad is an National Award winning Indian film editor.-Brief lifesketch:He was born to editor A. Sanjivi. Veteran L. V. Prasad was his maternal uncle. He was a graduate in Literature and started his film editing career in Telugu films...
.
The project commenced in April 2007 and was released and distributed worldwide by Ayngaran International
Ayngaran International
Ayngaran is a film distribution and production company of Tamil films, based in the United Kingdom. The company has distributed various Indian-produced Tamil films in Europe and North America. It is also responsible for the production of Tamil films into home media, such as VHS, DVD, and blu-ray...
on December 14, 2007. The film, upon release, emerged a high financial success, and was selected to be screened at the 61st Cannes Film Festival
2008 Cannes Film Festival
The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 14 to May 25, 2008. In addition to films selected for competition this year, major Hollywood productions such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Kung Fu Panda had their world premieres at the festival.The British press...
. Billas success led to a further remake
Billa (2009 film)
Billa is a 2009 Telugu gangster-thriller film film directed by Meher Ramesh, a remake of the 2007 Tamil Film of the same name. But some scenes were changed to suit the Telugu audience. It also drew inspirations from the Telugu film, Yugandhar which drew inspirations from another Hindi film...
in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
the following year and spawned a prequel
Billa 2
Billa II is a forthcoming Tamil gangster-thriller film directed by Chakri Toleti. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Billa and would focus on how David, an ordinary man from the coastal regions of South Tamil Nadu, becomes Billa, a dreaded underworld don, with Ajith Kumar reprising the role of the...
, which is currently in production.
Plot
An underworld don David Billa (Ajith KumarAjith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
), featured on Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
’s criminal list, is hiding and operating out of Malaysia. DSP Jayaprakash (Prabhu
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
) has spent the last few years looking for Billa, leaving behind a life in India.
During a chase with the police Billa is severely wounded after an accident and dies in front of the DSP. The DSP then secretly holds a burial of Billa. Interpol officer Gokulnath (Rahman
Rahman (actor)
Rahman is an Indian film actor who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films...
) is assigned to work with DSP Jayaprakash to capture elusive Billa as no-one knows of Billa's death. DSP Jayaprakash keeps the death of Billa as a secret even from his fellow officers, and tracks down a look-alike called Saravana Velu (Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
), a lowly pick-pocket. He asks Velu to infiltrate Billa's gang by pretending to be Billa. In return he will make sure that the child Velu adopted, Karan, gets a proper education.
The DSP trains Velu and sends him back to Billa's gang as a person who has lost his memory. Slowly Velu starts to learn about Billa's gang and even speaks to Jagdish, Billa's boss, on the phone. Velu provides a pen drive with the secret information of the crime network to the DSP, but he is about to be killed by Sasha (Nayantara
Nayantara
Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...
) because her brother Rajesh as well as her fiance Rhea (Rose Dawn
Rose Dawn
Rose Dawn, born 28 February 1987 in London, England as Hazel Keech , is an Indian film actress and model. She has appeared in the popular Tamil film, Billa as well as a Suzuki advert...
) were killed by Billa. At this juncture, the DSP arrives and tells her that he is Velu and not Billa. Later before a party, Velu secretly provides information to the DSP about a meeting of Billa's network and C.J. (Namitha), Billa's girlfriend, overhears his conversation. She challenges Velu but in the fight, he accidentally kills her. A shootout occurs at the party and the DSP is secretly killed by Jagdish, leaving his gun behind. Velu finds the DSP's body and the gun, but is taken into the custody of the police team, now headed by Interpol Officer Gokulnath. He argues during interrogation that he is Velu and not Billa to Gokulnath. Velu mentions a piece of evidence - the pen drive which may prove his innocence but the pen drive is nowhere to be found.
Unable to prove his innocence, he escapes from a police van. He phones Gokulnath and ask him to meet at the Aero bridge. Here it is revealed that Gokulnath is none other than the Underworld Crime Don Jagdish and he is the one who killed Jayprakash.
Officer Anil Menon apparently had the pen drive all along and strikes a deal with Velu to get hold of Jagdish. Meanwhile, Sasha and Karan have been kidnapped by Jagdish and wants the pen drive in return for it. Velu meets Ranjith and gives him a second pen drive with the same data, but corrupted. When Ranjith tries to kill Velu, a scuffle ensues making Ranjith fall from the top. In a final confrontation, Jagdish fights with Velu. Jagdish posing as Gokulnath asks the police to arrest Velu as Billa but gets shot by the squad of police and dies as the police have wired the entire conversation between Jagdish and Velu, thus proving his innocence. Velu finally hands over the original pen drive to Officer Menon.
Cast
- Ajith KumarAjith KumarAjith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
as David Billa and Saravana Velu - Nayanthara as Sasha
- Namitha as C. J.
- PrabhuPrabhu GanesanPrabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
as DSP Jayaprakash - RahmanRahman (actor)Rahman is an Indian film actor who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films...
as Jagdish/Gokulnath - Santhanam as Krishna
- AdithyaAdithyaAdithya , is an Indian film actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an atheist.- Filmography:-External links:...
as Anil Menon - Yogjapi as Ranjith
- Avneesh Parekh as Karan
- T. Balasubramaniam as Rajesh
- Rose DawnRose DawnRose Dawn, born 28 February 1987 in London, England as Hazel Keech , is an Indian film actress and model. She has appeared in the popular Tamil film, Billa as well as a Suzuki advert...
as Rhea, Rajesh’s fiancé
Development
The entire production of the movie took about six months to be completed and released. Prior to Billa, VishnuvardhanVishnuvardhan (director)
Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran, often credited simply as Vishnuvardhan, is an Indian film director. A one-time associate of Santosh Sivan he made his directorial debut in 2003 with Kurumbu, which did not fare well at the box office...
had directed three films, Kurumbu, Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum is a 2005 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan that stars Prakash Raj along with newcomers Arya, Navdeep and Samiksha in lead and Adithya and Krishna in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by top director, Yuvan Shankar Raja...
and Pattiyal
Pattiyal
Pattiyal is a 2006 Indian Tamil gangster film directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film tackles the issue of dons. It stars Arya, Bharath, Pooja Umashankar, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Cochin Haneefa and Santhana Bharathi in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja...
, two of which were successful. Billa, was started after a debacle surrounding his other venture, Sarvam
Sarvam
Sarvam is a 2009 Indian Tamil romantic thriller film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan, who has earlier directed highly successful Tamil films like Arinthum Ariyamalum , Pattiyal and Billa . Starring Arya and Trisha Krishnan in the lead roles while J. D...
, which was eventually postponed to make way for Billa.
In an interview, Vishnuvardhan mentioned that he had "twice missed out on the chance to direct him [Ajith Kumar]. The third time when I got a chance to direct him, I made sure that I would not miss it. I was all ready to write a good script for him but he said, he wanted me to remake Billa", confirming it was Ajith Kumar's idea. The film was originally announced, provisionally after the release of the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film, Don: The Chase Begins Again - which was a remake of the yesteryear film with the same name from 1978
Don (1978 film)
Don is a 1978 Indian action film, produced by Nariman Irani and directed by Chandra Barot, with music by Kalyanji Anandji and lyrics by Anjaan. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran, Iftekhar, Helen and Om Shivpuri, Satyen Kappu and Pinchoo Kapoor. It was the third-highest grossing...
. Also from the 1978 version of Don, a remake was made in 1980 into Tamil, called Billa
Billa (1980 film)
Billa is a 1980 Tamil film produced by K.Balaji and directed by R.Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajinikanth, Suresh Balaje, Thengai Srinivasan, Manorama, Sripriya, Reena Roy and Major Sundarrajan...
. 2007's Billa drew inspirations from these three versions. Suresh Balaji, who had acted in the yesteryear version of Billa, acquired the rights to produce the film. The film became the second Tamil film to be remade from its yesteryear version after Naan Avanillai.
After the official announcement of the production company, the director and the cameraman, Vishnuvardhan
Vishnuvardhan (director)
Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran, often credited simply as Vishnuvardhan, is an Indian film director. A one-time associate of Santosh Sivan he made his directorial debut in 2003 with Kurumbu, which did not fare well at the box office...
and Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
began to select other members of the cast and the crew to be a part of the Billa team, Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
could not assist in helping choose the other members. On 13 April 2007, the eve of Tamil New Year's Day, the launch of Billa took place at the AVM
AVM Productions
AVM is the oldest and largest film production studio in India. It is currently owned by M. Saravanan and his son, M. S. Guhan. The most recent film they have produced since their opening with Nam Iruvar in 1947, is Vettaikkaaran and Leader. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai....
studios in Vadapalani
Vadapalani
-Murugan Koyil:Built about 125 years back, this much-hallowed and regularly frequented Lord Muruga sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par with ancient places of worship...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. Among the attendees were the stars of the old cast, Rajnikanth
Rajnikanth
Rajinikanth is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award-winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal , directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor....
, Sripriya, Suresh Balaji as well as noted directors Mani Rathnam, Dharani
Dharani (director)
Dharani is an Indian film director, who primarily directs action-masala films. He is best known for directing the blockbuster films Dhill, Dhool and Ghilli.-Career:...
, K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
, and Saran
Saran (director)
Saran is a Tamil film director from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He was once an assistant to K. Balachander. He now owns a production house called Gemini Productions.-Life and Career:...
. The confirmed cast uptil the date of the launch also were invited, among them being Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
along with his wife, Shalini; Nayanthara, Namitha and Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
.
Casting, music and location
Apart from the casting of Ajith KumarAjith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
in the dual lead role, previously played by Rajnikanth
Rajnikanth
Rajinikanth is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award-winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal , directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor....
, the rest of the cast took nearly four months to finalize. The role essayed by Sripriya in the original, was given to Nayantara
Nayantara
Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...
in early 2007, controversially after Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actress, Isha Sherwani, who had been in contention to act in the last few movies of Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
, was paid the advance. Vishnuvardhan reported that he was pleased with Nayanthara's role in, E
E (film)
E is a 2006 Tamil film directed by S.P.Jananathan, who won the Indian National Award in 2004 for his debut, Iyarkai. Jeeva, Nayantara, Karunaas and Pasupathy play lead roles...
and subsequently opted for her. The other lead female role in the film was initially written for Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
, but due to her contract with Sivaji: The Boss, she refused to accept the film. Despite other actreses such as Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
, Reema Sen
Reema Sen
Reema Sen is an Indian actress and model.-Early life:Reema Sen was born in Kolkata, into a middle class Kayastha family in 1981. She completed high school from Calcutta, after which her family moved to Mumbai.-Film career:...
, Asin Thottumkal
Asin Thottumkal
Asin Thottumkal , known mononymously as Asin, is an Indian film actress, model and stage performer who acts primarily in Bollywood and Kollywood....
and Bhanu being considered, the role was eventually given to Pooja Umashankar
Pooja Umashankar
Pooja Gauthami Umashankar is an actress of Kannadiga Lingayat origin who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhala and Amateur films...
. However, she refused the role, citing that she was reluctant to appear in a bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
, as the role required. Subsequently, Namitha, another actress was signed up for the role.
The remaining members of the cast were selected subsequently after the launch, which was held on 13 April 2007. Despite early reports of Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
playing the role enacted by Suresh Balaji of an inspector in the original, the role was eventually bagged by Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
. The role of the comedian was tipped to go Vadivelu
Vadivelu
Vadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
, after he received rave reviews for his comic chemistry in Chandramukhi
Chandramukhi
Chandramukhi is a 2005 Indian horror, comedy and drama film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Ramkumar Ganesan. With a few deviations, it is a remake of Vasu's 2004 Kannada film Apthamitra, which was in-turn a remake of the 1993 Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu...
with Rajinikanth, however, despite the reviews, Vishnuvardhan's regular pattern meant that the spotlight for a comedian will be limited. Santhanam replaced him and became a part of the project, as did another character artiste, Adithya
Adithya
Adithya , is an Indian film actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an atheist.- Filmography:-External links:...
also signed up to be one of the members of the police troupe, as did Malayalam actor, Rahman
Rahman (actor)
Rahman is an Indian film actor who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films...
, who with Billa, made his comeback into Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
. The item number
Item number
An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film...
, danced by Helen in the original was originally given to Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan is an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada language films.-Introduction:Mumaith has two sisters...
, but was later changed to newcomer, Rose Dawn
Rose Dawn
Rose Dawn, born 28 February 1987 in London, England as Hazel Keech , is an Indian film actress and model. She has appeared in the popular Tamil film, Billa as well as a Suzuki advert...
, for unknown reasons. Other reports claimed that popular Tamil actor, Srikanth was to act as the father of the children Ajith raises in the film (the role earlier played by Thengai Srinivasan
Thengai Srinivasan
Thengai Srinivasan was a Tamil film comedian popular in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been given the title Thengai after he acted as a coconut-seller in the drama Kal Manam, staged by actor K. Kannan. Though basically a comedian, he proved himself an all-rounder by excelling in roles other than...
), but soon the report was denied and the character was not included in the film.
For his crew, Vishnuvardhan picked his preferred technicians; with Sujatha as the dialogue writer, Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
as the cinematographer, William Ong as the stunt master, Thotta Tharani
Thotta Tharani
- Film career :Thota Tharani has been involved in the art of set design since he was just twelve when he helped his father. Be it the creation of a realistic set of the Dharavi Slums or the colourful transparent bus of Kaadhalan, Tharani succeeds in creating the right ambience and the right...
as the art director, Pa. Vijay as the chief lyricist and A. Sreekar Prasad
A. Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad better known as Sreekar Prasad is an National Award winning Indian film editor.-Brief lifesketch:He was born to editor A. Sanjivi. Veteran L. V. Prasad was his maternal uncle. He was a graduate in Literature and started his film editing career in Telugu films...
as the editor. Vishnuvardhan's orthodox music composer, Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
was chosen, creating great expectations for the project, while Vishnuvardhan's wife, Anu, debuted as a costume designer. The film was entirely shot in Malaysia at locations including Langkawi
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
overlooking the Petronas Towers and other parts.
Soundtrack
For the film's music and soundtrack, Vishnuvardhan renewed his previous association (KurumbuKurumbu
Kurumbu is a 2003 Indian Tamil film directed by Vishnuvardhan, making his directorial debut. The film, a remake of the 2002 Telugu film Allari, stars Allari Naresh, who also starred in the original version, which marked his acting debut, along with the female artists Diya and Nikita Thukral in lead...
, Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum is a 2005 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan that stars Prakash Raj along with newcomers Arya, Navdeep and Samiksha in lead and Adithya and Krishna in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by top director, Yuvan Shankar Raja...
and Pattiyal
Pattiyal
Pattiyal is a 2006 Indian Tamil gangster film directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film tackles the issue of dons. It stars Arya, Bharath, Pooja Umashankar, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Cochin Haneefa and Santhana Bharathi in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja...
) with Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
. The soundtrack has 6 songs, while lyrics were penned by Pa. Vijay. Since the film was a remake, two songs from the original soundtrack, composed by M. S. Viswanathan
M. S. Viswanathan
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films...
, were remixed and included in the soundtrack. The formal release of the soundtrack of Billa was held on 26 November 2007 at Hotel Residence Towers in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. The album had achieved record audio sales. Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
reported that it had took the "best ever audio opening" for an Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
film and the second highest opening day sales recorded in 2007 after Sivaji: The Boss. Nearly 22,000 CDs and cassettes were said to be sold out by the first day evening all over Tamil Nadu.
The album received very positive reviews. Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff noted that Billas music "rocks" and gave it four out of five. The reviewer wrote: "Yuvan Shankar Raja has etched an intricate musical feast to compliment the tale -- and quite a feast it's turned out to be, a la the original". She concluded The guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
-ridden theme song was the most appreciated song, with a reviewer from Indiaglitz.com writing that the track was a "masterly work from young Yuvan... [which]... takes us to a different world", while another reviewer from Behindwoods wrote that it was the "soul of the film" which "stands out as the highlight of the album, giving that eerie feel required of a film about a don" and an "interesting composition with arrangements that spell international quality".
| No. | Song | Singers | Length (m:ss) | Lyrics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "My Name is Billa" | Naveen, Kay Kay | 03:54 | Pa. Vijay | Remix of the same-titled song from the original film Billa (1980 film) Billa is a 1980 Tamil film produced by K.Balaji and directed by R.Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajinikanth, Suresh Balaje, Thengai Srinivasan, Manorama, Sripriya, Reena Roy and Major Sundarrajan... , composed by M. S. Viswanathan M. S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films... and written by Kannadasan Kannadasan Kannadasan was a Tamil poet and lyricist, heralded as one of the greatest and most important writer in the Tamil language... |
| 2 | "Naan Meendum" | Deepika | 04:46 | Picturized on CJ trying to impress "Billa" | |
| 3 | "Sei Yedhavathu Sei" | Neha Bhasin Neha Bhasin Neha Bhasin is an Indian singer-songwriter, performer, and TV hostess and was a member of the Indian pop girl group Viva!.-Biography:Neha Bhasin was born on November 18, 1982 in Delhi in a Punjabi Khatri family, India to Ashok Bhasin and Rekha Bhasin and has an elder sister and a younger brother... , Preethi Balla |
04:50 | Picturized on Rhea seducing Billa, before attempting to arrest him | |
| 4 | "Seval Kodi" | Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Kattassery , commonly credited as Vijay Yesudas, is an Indian playback singer, who has sung songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Tulu and Telugu.-Early life:... & Chorus |
04:53 | The introduction song for Velu, the Billa look-alike | |
| 5 | "Vethayala Pottendi" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
04:23 | Remix of the same-titled song from the original film Billa (1980 film) Billa is a 1980 Tamil film produced by K.Balaji and directed by R.Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajinikanth, Suresh Balaje, Thengai Srinivasan, Manorama, Sripriya, Reena Roy and Major Sundarrajan... , composed by M. S. Viswanathan M. S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films... and written by Kannadasan Kannadasan Kannadasan was a Tamil poet and lyricist, heralded as one of the greatest and most important writer in the Tamil language... |
|
| 6 | "Theme Music" | Instrumental Instrumental An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.... |
01:44 | — |
Box office
The film was released in 229 screens in Tamil Nadu and 50 screens overseas. The film was made on a budget of 15 crore and sold to Ayngaran InternationalAyngaran International
Ayngaran is a film distribution and production company of Tamil films, based in the United Kingdom. The company has distributed various Indian-produced Tamil films in Europe and North America. It is also responsible for the production of Tamil films into home media, such as VHS, DVD, and blu-ray...
for 25 crore. The film became the second highest grossing film of the year. In Chennai alone it collected 5.20 crore. In Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, it was reported to have grossed more than Malayalam films featuring Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
and Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
, while also having surpassed Rajinikanth's Sivaji: The Bosss collections. It became biggest commercial success in Ajith's career, beating his previous year's blockbuster Varalaru.
Critical response
Billa opened to primarily positive critical response. Indiaglitz called it a "stylish adaption" and wrote: "The movie does impress in its stunningly impressive making with awesome cinematography and sleek editing. It outsmarts the original in these areas [...] Even the stunt scenes are far better than the original..." The reviewer further noted: "Vishnu[vardhan]'s presentation is stylish and sleek. But the crime thriller lacks credibility in some areas". SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
lauded the film, writing: Billa delivers the goods with its great star cast, a designer look, technical glitz, perfect chemistry making it an entertainment extravaganza". The reviewer claimed that it was the "first designer-look Kollywood film with classy action cuts" and a "technically chic, racy, engrossing entertainer with a Hollywood look", going on to call it "racy & rocking". The critic also heaped praise on the lead actor: "Ajith looks sensational and clearly he is at home, playing dual roles of Billa and Velu. He is suave, dashing, and debonair and has terrific screen presence which makes the film work big time. You just cannot think of any other actor in Tamil donning the role made memorable by Rajinikanth". Behindwoods rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "...where Vishnu Vardhan scores is in his crystal clear vision. He doesn’t want to challenge the original nor change its content. All he wants to do is to repackage it stylishly for today’s trend with some present avant-garde styles in film making. The deliberate attempts by the director not to follow the super star’s style are palpable in every frame which has made Billa stand out tall and high". In regard of Ajith Kumar's presence, the reviewer said: "Ajith as the ruthless David Billa is a revelation. Stylish, menacing and electrifying, he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and has completely lived up to it. Rajinikanth can definitely be proud of his successor he has chosen for the tough job".
Mythili Ramachandran of Nowrunning.com wrote: Billa [...] lives up to its hype and Ajith simply rocks", rating it 3 out of 5. Another reviewer from the same site, gave the same rating, citing: "Billa [...] is slick and stylish in keeping with the present modern world...View the movie from technical angle and it is undoubtedly in par with Hollywood movies. What a pulsating thriller it has turned out to be". In contrast, TSV Hari from Rediff wrote that the film "disappoints" and gave it 2.5 out of 5, further claiming: "Director Vishnuvardhan seems to have been in a dilemma as to whether to focus on Ajith or give the film well-etched characters. There are too many diversions in the form of female cleavages in the rain forests of Malaysia and garish sets".
Prequel
In 2008, reports claimed that, following the film's commercial success, Soundarya RajinikanthSoundarya Rajinikanth
Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin is a film graphic designer, producer and director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India who has contributed in several Tamil films. Soundarya Rajinikanth is most popularly known for her work in Anbe Aaruyire...
was planning to make a sequel, to be produced by Ocher Studios in association with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
However, the sequel did not materialize and the idea was dropped, with Ajith Kumar, Vishnuvardhan and Soundarya getting busy with other projects.
In mid-2010, sources confirmed that Vishnuvardhan had finished penning the script for a prequel and that Ajith Kumar would reprise the titular character. The project became officially announced in late 2010, after Ajith Kumar signed up and first production poster were published to the media. Suresh Balaje, son of producer and actor K. Balaje, who produced the original Billa with Rajinikanth, and George Pius from Wide Angle Creations banner, were confirmed as the producer, who associated with Mumbai-based IN Entertainment Limited, a Hinduja group company
Hinduja Group
The Hinduja Group is a conglomerate company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1914 by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, initially operating in Mumbai, India, and setting up its first international operation in Iran in 1919. The headquarters of the Group moved to Iran where it...
. However, in a turn of events, Vishnuvardhan was replaced by Chakri Toleti
Chakri Toleti
Chakri Toleti is an Indian actor and film director based in the United States who recently made his directorial debut with the bilingual films Unnaipol Oruvan and Eeenadu . The film was a remake of Neeraj Pandey's 2008 Hindi film A Wednesday...
, and a new script was written by Toleti and his assistants. The prequel is currently in production and slated for a release in April 2012.