Yuvan Shankar Raja's new film - "Billa" with Ajit

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http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14342752

Ajit -The new `Billa`!

By Moviebuzz | Sunday, 03 December , 2006, 17:08
It's official! Ajit will be doing the remake of Billa, that Rajnikanth action classic of 1980. The film will be directed by Vishnuvardhan the young, hot& happening director of Kollywood and produced by veteran distributor L.Suresh of Ananda pictures.

So the remake syndrome has hit Tamil cinema also. Remember that it has become a fashion in Bollywood to remake old classics. Recently Shahrukh Khan did Don a remake of that old Amitabh Bachchan film with the same name. And by sheer coincidence Rajni’s Billa was a remake of the same Don!

Veteran producer K.Balaji had made Billa with Rajnikanth in his first double role along with Sri Priya, Thengai Srinivasan, Major Sounderrajan and Helen, directed by R.Krishnamoorthy. It was a film that made Rajni a mass action hero (see pic) and he was crowned the superstar on its release day-January 26, 1980!

Vishnuvardhan had in fact had this idea of remaking the film much before Farhan Akhtar even thought about it and had approached few superstars two years back. But no one was confident about doing a Rajni hit as they thought that comparisons will be far too many! Ajit had the guts not only to do the film but is gung-ho about the project. And now after Varalaaru has become a super hit, he wants to do something different and is taking it up as a challenge.

It seems that Ajit met the superstar who advised him to go ahead with the project. L.Suresh the producer who will be doing the film after Ajit completes Kireedom has brought the remake rights from K Balaji. Suresh also encouraged Ajit by saying that the curiosity and title value will make a lot of people go and watch the new Billa giving it an extraordinary opening.

Vishnuvardhan is all excited about the film and has started writing the script of the film which will be shot slickly. Vishnu is sure to give the film a modern updated, technically far superior Billa which will work magic with the audiences. He made it clear that he will not be deviating much story wise from its original.

Nirav Shah the cameraman who has won a lot of critical acclaim for the recent Dhoom-2 will be the cameraman and Sreekar Prasad will be the editor. Vishnu’s close buddy Yuvan Shankar Raja is the music director. They are planning to remix two of the original songs written by Kannadasan with M.S.Viswanathan’s music. The all-time favourite Rajnikanth introduction song My name is Billa… sung by SPB and Vethialaya Pottendy… sung by Malaysia Vasudevan will be retained in the new Billa.

Ajit’s Billa will start rolling sometime in March 2007 and promises to be a racy, peppy and ultra stylish entertainer.