Billa (2007 film)
Billa | |
---|---|
Directed by | Vishnuvardhan |
Written by | Minosh Sivanesan |
Screenplay by | Vishnuvardhan |
Story by | Salim–Javed |
Based on | Don (Hindi) |
Produced by | L. Suresh Abdurrahman. M |
Starring | Ajith Kumar Prabhu Rahman Nayanthara Namitha |
Cinematography | Nirav Shah |
Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | Ananda Picture Circuit |
Distributed by | Pyramid Saimira Ayngaran International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Billa is a 2007 Indian
The shooting of Billa commenced in April 2007 and was released and distributed worldwide by Ayngaran International on 14 December 2007.[3] The film, upon release, emerged highly successful,[4] and was selected to be screened at the 61st Cannes Film Festival.[5][6]
Plot
David Billa is a crime boss featured on
Jayaprakash trains Velu and sends him back to Billa's gang, disguised as an
A shootout occurs at the party, and Jayaprakash is killed by Jagdish, leaving his gun behind. Velu finds the Jayaprakash dead and the gun, but is taken into the custody of the police team, now headed by 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, Velu escapes from a police van and phones Gokulnath, where he asks him to meet at the Aero bridge, where it is revealed that Gokulnath is none other than Jagdish and was the one who killed Jayaprakash. 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 them. 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 and joins Sasha and Karan.
Cast
- David Billaand Saravana Velu (dual role)
- Prabhu as DSP Jayaprakash
- Rahman as the fake Gokulnath / Jagdish
- Nayanthara as Sasha (Voice Dubbed By Renuka Kathir)
- Namitha as C. J.
- Santhanam as Krishna
- Adithya Menon as Anil Menon
- John Vijay as John
- Yog Japee as Ranjith
- Master Avnish as Karan
- T. Balasubramaniam as Rajesh (cameo)
- Hazel Keech as Rhea, Rajesh's fiancé (cameo)
- Vidhyasakar as Sakar
Production
Development
The entire production stage of the movie spanned about six months. Prior to Billa, Vishnuvardhan 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 said that he had "twice missed out on the chance to direct [Ajith]. 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's idea.[7]
The film was originally announced, provisionally after the release of the
After the official announcement of the production company, the director and the cameraman,
Filming
Apart from the casting of Ajith in the dual lead role, previously played by
The remaining members of the cast were selected after the launch, which was held on 13 April 2007. Despite early reports of
For his crew, Vishnuvardhan picked his preferred technicians, with Rajkannan as the dialogue writer, Nirav Shah as the cinematographer, William Ong as the stunt master, Thota 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 Vardhan, worked as a costume designer.[3] Majority of the film was shot in Malaysia at locations including Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur overlooking the Petronas Towers and other parts, while a few scenes were shot at the Binny Mills in Chennai.
Soundtrack
Billa | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Feature film soundtrack | ||||
Length | 24:30 | |||
Label | Ayngaran Music An Ak Audio Think Music | |||
Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
|
For the film's music and soundtrack, Vishnuvardhan renewed his previous association (Kurumbu, Arinthum Ariyamalum and Pattiyal) with Yuvan Shankar Raja. The soundtrack has six songs, and the 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.[3] The formal release of the soundtrack was held on 21 November 2007 at Hotel Residence Towers in Chennai.[26] Yuvan Shankar Raja reused some of the background music of his previous ventures Kedi and Vallavan in Billa. The album achieved record audio sales. Sify reported that it took the "best ever audio opening" for an Ajith film and the second highest opening day sales recorded in 2007 after Sivaji: The Boss.[27] Nearly 22,000 CDs and cassettes were said to be sold out by the first day evening all over Tamil Nadu.[27]
The album received very positive reviews. Pavithra Srinivasan from
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 Pa.Vijay
|
2 | "Naan Meendum" | Deepika | 04:46 | Picturized on CJ trying to impress Billa
| |
3 | "Sei Yedhavathu Sei" | Neha Bhasin, Preethi Balla | 04:50 | Picturized on Rhea seducing Billa, before attempting to arrest him | |
4 | "Seval Kodi" | Vijay Yesudas & Chorus | 04:53 | The introduction song for Velu, the Billa look-alike | |
5 | "Vethalaiya Potendi" | Shankar Mahadevan | 04:23 | A part-remix of the same-titled song from the original film, composed by M. S. Viswanathan and written by Kannadasan | |
6 | "Theme Music" | Instrumental | 01:44 | – |
Marketing
The satellite rights of the film were bought by Kalaignar TV. Its television premiere occurred on the occasion of Diwali in 27 October 2008.[31]
Reception
Box office
The film was released in over 200 screens in Tamil Nadu and 50 screens overseas.[32] The film was made on a budget of ₹15 crore (worth ₹61 crore in 2021 prices) and sold to Ayngaran International for ₹25 crore.[3] In its opening weekend, Billa collected about ₹3 crores.[33] In Chennai alone it collected ₹5.2 crore. The film completed a 175-day run at theatres and was declared a blockbuster. It is reported to have sold 1 crore tickets in India.[34] In Kerala, it collected more than the usual top Malayalam films of the year.[35] It was highest grossing Ajith film at that time until release of Mankatha and was the second highest grossing tamil movie behind Sivaji: The Boss.
Critical response
Billa opened to primarily positive critical response.[36] Sify 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 a 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".[37] 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'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".[38]
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 a technical angle, and it is undoubtedly in par with Hollywood movies. What a pulsating thriller it has turned out to be".
Prequel
In 2008, reports claimed that, following the film's commercial success,
However, the sequel did not materialise, 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.[44][45] The project became officially announced in late 2010, after Ajith Kumar signed up and first production poster were published to the media.[46][47] 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,[46] who associated with Mumbai-based IN Entertainment Limited, a Hinduja group company.[47][48] However, in a turn of events, Vishnuvardhan was replaced by Chakri Toleti,[3][49] and a new script was written by Toleti and his assistants.[50] The prequel was released at 13 July 2012 to underwhelming reviews, eventually being deemed as a box office failure.[3][51]
References
- ^ Dhananjayan 2014, p. 474.
- ^ Billa (2007), retrieved 7 August 2021
- ^ a b c d e f Dhananjayan 2014, p. 475.
- ^ "Show Buzz". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 April 2011.
- ^ "'Billa' Team is not alone in Cannes – Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 19 May 2008. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008.
- ^ ""Billa" selected for Cannes film festival". Nowrunning.com. 3 May 2008.
- ^ "rediff.com: 'It takes a lot of guts to act in a Rajnikanth remake'". Specials.rediff.com.
- ^ "Rajinikanth launches 'Billa' remake with Ajith in the lead". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 20 April 2007. Archived from the original on 22 April 2007.
- ^ "Ultimate star Ajithkumar's fight at Nayan's shop". rajini-in-sivaji.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Billa Special". Tamilcinemas.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Isha Sherwani in Billa 2007". Kollywoodtalk.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Shreya to work in Billa". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Ajith's Billa was a dream for Trisha". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Shriya to act in Billa". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Ajith's new heroine: Reema Sen". Apunkachoice.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Ajith as Billa, Asin as heroine". Allindiansite.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Who is to work in Billa?". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Pooja's dream". Idleburra.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Namitha Glore in Billa!". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "My Name is Billa!". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Prakash Raj in Billa". Indiaglitz.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2005. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Latest addition in Billa!". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Billa: 2007". Nowrunning.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ "Santhanam in Billa!". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Mumaith in Billa!". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 3 April 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Billa Audio Launch". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 28 November 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Billa audio – Super Opening!". Sify. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
- Rediff. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ "Billa – Groovy & good". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ "Billa – Music Review". Behindwoods. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ Pillai, Sreedhar (24 October 2008). "Diwali dampeners". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Billa – what an opening!. Sify.com (15 December 2007). Retrieved on 1 June 2015.
- ^ "Billa 1st weekend collection". filmibeat. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ "Billa hits a century". Sify Moviebuzz. 22 March 2008.
- ^ "Billa breaks record in Kerala". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008..
- ^ Dhananjayan 2014, p. 476.
- ^ "Movie Review:Billa". Sify. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013.
- ^ "Billa Movie Review". Behindwoods. 5 December 2007.
- ^ PVS (15 December 2007). "Billa Review". Nowrunning.com.
- ^ "Billa disappoints". Rediff.com. 14 December 2007.
- ^ Shankar, By: Settu (19 December 2007). "Balaji disappointed with Billa-2007!". Filmibeat. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "BILLA II hot stills picture image gallery". Behindwoods.
- ^ Social Post (19 May 2008). "Soundarya Rajini confirms Billa-2". One India.
- ^ "BREAKING NEWS: AJITH'S BILLA 2". Behindwoods. 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ Moviebuzz (2010). "Vishnuvardhan to make Billa prequel!". Sify. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ a b "It's official: Ajith signs 'Billa II'". IndiaGlitz. 2010. Archived from the original on 7 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ a b Moviebuzz (2010). "Breaking News- Billa 2 confirmed". Sify. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ "IN Entertainment ties up with Wide Angle Creations". Indiainfoline.com. 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Vishnu cancels billa date". The Times of India. 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Ajith gets new script, director for Billa 2". The Times of India. 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
- ^ "'Billa 2' from July 13 – Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012.
External links
- Official website
- Billa at IMDb
Bibliography
- Dhananjayan, G. (2014). Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013. Blue Ocean Publishers.[permanent dead link]