Billa completing 50 days

Reigning hero Prabhas’s stylish flick Billa, Telugu remake of super hit Bollywood film Don, was released on April 2 and is all set to complete 50 days!

Director Meher Ramesh and producer Krishnam Raju are planning to celebrate Billa's 50 days run by holding a public function in Vijayawada on May 24. The entire crew members, including lead actors Prabhas, Anushka and Namitha will be present during the function.

According to reports, despite the election season and the IPL fever, Billa has done good business in the initial weeks itself with a collection of more than Rs. 15 crores, the highest for any Prabhas film. However, the collection slowly came down after the release of Suriya's Veedokkade and Balakrishna's Mitrudu. The coming days are likely to be even more challenging for Billa, as some big films are slated for release.

Billa Triple platinum disc function

Triple platinum disc function of Prabhas’s latest film Billa was held at Taj Krishna, Hyderabad on the night of 12 May. This function was attended by Krishnam Raju, VV Vinayak, Doraswamy Raju, Prabhas, Anushka, D Narendra, LVR, Lahari, Sunil, Subbaraju and Meher Ramesh.

Shyamala Devi (Mrs. Krishnam Raju) said, “We are indebted to the movie lovers for making Billa a hit film. Krishnam Raju did well in the movie. My kids watched Billa 10 times for Prabhas. Director handled the film deftly. Anushka treated this banner as her own and cooperated with us.”

Prabhas said, “This film was executed in 4 and half months. It was a herculean task and everybody worked hard towards getting the movie out so soon. I am happy that my film with Krishnam Raju combination became a hit. Nobody worked for money. Everybody worked for the success of the movie. I want to thank my fans for helping us out getting pirates punished.”

Billa crossed Jalsa in my theater – VV Vinayak
VV Vinayak said, “Meher Ramesh made the movie with high quality content. It is above the quality standards of a Telugu cinema. People might think that it is easy to do a remake. But its difficult to do a remake movie and its easy to do a straight film. Meher Ramesh’s conception of climax needs lots of guts. I have good relationship with Prabhas’s family members though I directed only one film with Prabhas. Anushka is considerate heroine. I happen to be the exhibitor of Billa film. Jalsa got 1 lac share in the first week in our theater and Billa generated 1.15 lac in the first week. I am happy that Billa is a huge success.”

Billa collected 16.5 crores share in 3 weeks – Krishnam Raju
Krishnam Raju said, “I am very happy that this movie did amazing business at box office. It is not an easy task to collect a share of 16.5 crores in 3 weeks. I would like to thank all exhibitors on this eve. Prabhas worked really hard to get his body in shape. He skipped usual meals and did rigorous exercises. Prabhas opined that I might not produce Billa because it’s going to cost a lot. He was surprised when I accepted to produce this movie. Director Meher Ramesh narrated the climax of the film well, but could not execute it as per my expectations. We had three festivals (Dasara, Deepavali and December 31st) during the making of Billa and we celebrated it with the unit. Though Mani Sharma could not score the music as per the standards of our banner, he did very good background music. There is no sentiment in this movie like our earlier movies. I will be doing a sentiment film soon.

Billa Triple platinum disc function Photo Gallery Click here

Prabhas speaks about his ambitions

No wonder then, Tollywood heartthrob Prabhas was literally sweating it out when Hyderabad Times caught up with him in between shots of his new film. Considering that the mercury is soaring, isn’t it reason enough for him to take a break? “First the media blames us stars for not doing more films. But when we are shooting you want us to take a break. Not fair!” he laughingly puts it.

Prabhas claims that it takes time for “everything to fall in place” before the actual shoot of a film can commence. “Once the shooting starts we don’t mind whether it is 43 degrees plus or minus 6 degrees, we just keep working,” he says. The actor is known to have travelled in an auto for a recent film role. Has he done that in real life? “Of course! I used to travel in autos and buses during my school and college days,” he replies. Being the scion of an affluent family, wasn’t he pampered? “We were pampered but our family taught us how to lead a balanced lifestyle,” he reasons.

His latest release Billa, the fourth remake of the Bollywood blockbuster Don, has turned out to be a moderate hit here. “We specifically designed Billa as a slick action film and it succeeded,” he says with relish. But didn’t he feel the film went on to be a blockbuster because it had more style than substance?

“Probably, the theme was repetitive, but we gave it our best shot. I also realised that blockbusters can never be made, they just happen,” he reasons. However his dream to share screen space with his uncle, veteran actor Krishnam Raju, was fulfilled. “I’ll always cherish it,” he says.
After playing a social deviant in Billa, Prabhas is now essaying a contrasting role in new film Ek Niranjan. “It’s a different role with lot of responsibility. Kangna Ranaut, my co-actor is a talented actress and great co-star too,” he adds. Does he think that his macho image has confined him to action films.

“My maiden blockbuster Varsham was an intense love story,” he replies. He reiterates that he was always game for variety. “I explored contrasting roles and themes and films like Pournami, Chakram and Bujjigadu added some variety to my career” he opines. But he feels that a couple of solid hits would have given a “fillip to my career.”

While many young actors prefer to flaunt their ‘filmi’ friendships, Prabhas thinks differently. His close friendship with Gopichand and Allu Arjun is kept under wraps. “Friendship is a personal issue and it should remain that way. But we do keep in touch,” he elaborates. He also differs from his peers, by not being a “party animal” and claims to attend only “private dos” of close friends only. A workaholic indeed!

Billa's success meeting

Impressed by the initial response from audiences to the latest Prabas starrer Billa (Telugu remake of super hit Bollywood film Don), 'rebel star' U.V. Krishnam Raju is getting ready to hold success meetings at various theatres.

While interacting with media in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, he said that his bold decision to revive Gopi Krishna Movies and produce Billa under its banner, had turned into a big hit. He also said his nephew Prabhas, the hero, supported by glamour girls Hansika, Anuska and Namita, had proved that he was a style icon for the youth.

"Prabhas had acted very well, drawing inspiration from Big B’s performance in Don and later Shahrukh’s in Don 2 and Rajinikanth’s acting in a similar role in a Tamil film and NTR’s in a Telugu movie," he added.

Krishnam Raju said due to his preoccupation in politics, he could not venture to shoot a film for a long time after the hit Tandra Papa Rayudu. He gave credit for the success of Billa to its artists, technicians and workers and said he was happy that the end product was comparable with a Hollywood film.

Billa collects 15.05 crores share in 21 days

Prabhas’s latest film Billa is on it’s way to satisfy all the buyers of the movie. It collected a share of approximately 15.05 crores in 21 days. It is doing adequately well despite of stiff competitions from elections and IPL. The collections have improved today as the election mania subdued in AP. Varsham was the highest grosser for Prabhas in Guntur territory with a share of 1.4 crores in the total run. Billa equaled it in just 3 weeks. This film is also doing well in Chennai and Karnataka. Here is the table of Billa's AP collections -

S. No	Territory	Share
1	Nizam	6.5 crores (including fixed hires)
2	Ceded	2.47 crores
3	Nellore	70 lacs
4	Guntur	1.4 crores
5	Krishna	99 lacs
6	West Godavari	99 lacs
7	East Godavari	80 lacs
8	Vizag	1.2 crores
-	Total (only in AP)	15.05 crores (approx)

Billa creates new highs!

The remake of the yesteryear Rajini starrer Billa, with Ajith in the lead, went on to become a huge hit. Following its astounding success, the film was remade in Telugu. Prabhas, Anushka and Namitha played the roles essayed by Ajith, Nayanthara and Namitha in Tamil.

Telugu Billa was released 10 days ago and had already raked up a collection of Rs. 11 crores, states the distributors. As per the statistics, the film managed to garner Rs. 5.1 crores in Hyderabad alone. The reasons attributed for the hit of this film is Prabhas’s popularity, Anushka’s glamour and action

Billa team is all smiles!

Billa seems to be a lucky mascot for everyone concerned. After it became a super success in Tamil, now the remake version of the film in Telugu has also turned out to be a hit.

The film collected a share of 11 crores in 10 days. In Nizam it collected 5.1 crores including fixed hires. Billa has also become one of the highest grosser in Prabhas career. Anushka has proved that Arundhati was no flash in the pan and now she has become hot in the trade.

Namitha has also got a new lease of life in Telugu and has signed two films after Billa success. The actress is working hard to shed that extra flab to return to Tollwood from where it all started for her. Remember that her innings in Tamil is almost over and she is looking out for greener pastures in Telugu and Malayalam.
Source:- sify

Mani Sharma Scores Dud after dud

Music director Mani Sharma should hang his face with shame for the quality of work he is producing. Big budget Film after big budget film he has given flop music. One does not remember when Mani Sharma gave hummable music in a film.

A case in point is Billa. Listening to these songs puts one off. The title song Billa is a predictable tune, very ordinary one to say the least. The mass song done on Prabhas is a direct lift from the Bollywood track ‘Ganpath’.
Making a signature tune for a film is a golden opportunity, not all get it. Here too Mani Sharma has let go a golden opportunity in Billa. (Shankar-Ehsan-Loy’s signature tune for Hindi DON haunts you even today).
Surely Mani Sharma needs to pull-up his socks if he intends to be counted as a top music director in Tollywood.

Source:- AndhraCafe

Billa collects 11 crores share in 10 days

Billa surprised everybody by collecting a share of 11 crores (approximate) in 10 days. In Nizam it collected 5.1 crores including fixed hires. In all other areas, the share amount is mentioned in the table below. Trade pundits are telling that Billa collected this kind of shares though the mouth talk is divided because Billa is the only option for movie lovers if they want lavish production values and big stars. Incidentally, Billa is going to be biggest grosser in the career of Prabhas in the total run. Prabhas’s previous film Bujjigadu collected a total share of 1.7 crores in full run in Ceded and Billa collected a share of 1.72 crores in 10 days only. In a city like Nellore, Billa is still running housefuls in two theaters. The total expected share of Billa is Nizam is 9 crores, as per the director Meher Ramesh. Billa is expected to collect a share of 1 crore in Nellore in total run. It is going to collect 1.4 crores in Krishna area. With Rs. 80/- per ticket, Billa is going to be the highest grosser in INOX, Vijayawada. In a place like Kadapa, Chatrapati collected a share of 18 lacs in total run and Billa collected a share of 14 lacs in the first week itself. They are expecting 25 lacs in total run. Billa is also successfully reaching the crowds in B and C centers.

S. No	Territory	Share
1	Nizam	5.1 crores (including fixed hires)
2	Ceded	1.73 crores
3	Nellore	48.5 lacs
4	Guntur	99 lacs
5	Krishna	69 lacs
6	West Godavari	69 lacs
7	East Godavari	60 lacs
8	Vizag	75 lacs
-	Total (only in AP)	11.05 crores (approx)

Source :- idlebrain

Billa A Plus For Anushka?

The stylish Billa is supposed to have incurred a cost of over 26 crores. The vernacular magazines go on to publish that the collections so far are little over 18 crores in the first week. Touted as all style, no substance film, analysts feel that moviegoers have been treated to the subject in hindi, tamil all over again and the same matter has evoked little interest. Despite the lukewarm response, for Anushka it is a plus, a bonus after Arundathi's release as she has had a new make over, appearing as the latest diva in demand, her bikini act notwithstanding. Her most awaited film is Varudu which has just completed four days of shoot. Anushka will resume work for it from 20th onwards.
Source :- www.cinegoer.com

Krishnamraju Regales All

Since there were no big budget films in the offing, one expected Prabhas's film Billa to do well and become a runaway hit. But contrary to expectations the movie is doing just well. Though there is not much comedy in the film, Rebel star Krishnaman Raju is making up for it. People are heard screaming when he comes up on screen with funny costumes and flimsy dialogues. Someonelse like Prakash Raj It would have added credibility to the story and ensured it as a complete entertainer.

Source :- www.cinegoer.com

Prabhas Relieved

Prabhas is a relieved actor after the success of Billa. The film is doing reasonably well in all the centers and if analysts are to be believed then it is heading for a big hit. Prabhas has been waiting for this hit for more than a year, his earlier film Bujjigadu was a very big flop. Prabhas has always been an actor with very good potential but unfortunately his films have been taking a beating at he box office for all the wrong reasons.

Many analysts say that this actor should have achieved a lot more with his acting caliber. Despite having a good fan following and physical features to match, directors have not exploited his potential to the fullest. Prabhas has been facing a crunch of bad scripts accompanied with directors who have executed them badly.But now many feel with this hit Prabhas has left the bad behind, they vouch that he has a bright and successful future ahead.

Billa is all style, no substance

Billa seemed to be in the news ever since Ajith featured in the Tamil remake of the super hit Rajnikanth starrer of the 1980s. And when Telugu's cinema's young Prabhas donned the role, there was excitement even though it was a total remake of Ajith's Billa.

The Telugu Billa is nothing more than a slick and stylish (at least the first half is) film with choppers, Ferraris vrooming, car chase, loads of weapons, oomph in the form of a 'robust' Namita and a svelte and lissome Anushka , and a good touristy view of Malaysia. Mehar Ramesh has been able to impart that 'synthetic' cold look and with everybody in dark glasses that one can hardly see any of the actors' expressions. It is only in parts in the second half that one can feel the warmth of the film, particularly in the shots to do with the 'rustic' Billa. However, the second half tends to drag quite a bit.

The story of the film by now is known to most thanks to the various versions of Don and Billa. Here Billa (Prabhas) lives in Malaysia and answers to a Devil (whose identity is disclosed in the end). Lisa (Namita) plays his moll. Rashid (Kelly Dorje) strikes deals only with Billa. Actually Billa trusts no one and kills everyone as he mouths the Spanish goodbye several times. He finishes off his trusted lieutenant Vikram (Subbaraju) and his lover Priya (Hansika) but not before she does an item number. Maya (Anushka) enters Billa's domain.

ACP Krishnamurthi (Krishnamraju) is after Billa and lands up in Malaysia to capture him. He does and Billa reappears...There is nothing new in the original story written by Salim-Javed though Mehar Ramesh tried to give it the contemporary feeling. When Billa behaves as though he suffers from loss of memory, ACP Krishnamurthi asks, is this Ghajini ? Though it sounds somewhat out of context, it induces some laughs.

Mehar Ramesh has concentrated on creating the typical 'cosmetic' look. But when the rural scenes are shot, the dichotomy is very evident. The first half has only Prabhas walking in slow motion, either smoking or shooting. After a point, it gets boring to watch the repetitive shots. Prabhas is made to have one trademark expression, Anushka too has the same stock expression. Mehar could have concentrated on tying up the unfinished threads in the film.For Prabhas, such a role seems to have been a cakewalk. He just glides through it effortlessly.

He really looks the uber cool dude with his eight-pack body. Anushka has a super-toned body and indulges in quite a bit of skin show. Rather both the girls do. Besides upping the glamour quotient (Anushka does it more) they have nothing much to do. Rehman (Tamil actor) does an important role and is fairly competent. Krishnamraju is just about okay.

Soundar Rajan's camera work is a major plus point of the movie besides the editing of course by Marthand K Venkatesh. Somehow Manisharma disappoints with his musical score.

On the whole, Billa is all about style and slickness without much substance. It's also an ode to cleavage which is rather unnecessary and unwanted. Watch Billa if you want to see some improvements on the technical front or if you at a loose end or if you're Prabhas fan.

Indiaglitz Review - {Billa}

It was with great hype that the film ‘Billa’ was expected and this is the first of the biggies for this summer. This was being deemed as the Telugu version of a James Bond flick when it comes to style and presentation. How does a thief become a don and try to save the world is the essence. Let us see how that happens.

Story

Set in Malaysia, ACP Krishnamurthy (Krishnamraju) is keen on catching the one and only Billa (Prabhas), the international criminal. Billa keeps escaping each time the cops try to catch him and he is flanked by his gang of girlfriend Lisa (Namitha), henchmen Ranjith (Supreeth) and Vijay (Subbaraju). In their gang joins Maya (Anushka) who is the sister of Vijay and she comes to kill Billa since he has killed Vijay during an incident. Meanwhile, Krishnamurthy finally manages to corner Billa and in the shootout, Billa dies in his hands. In order to know the major deal that Billa has with Rashid Khan (Kelly), Krishnamurthy looks for an idea and he finds Ranga. Ranga (Prabhas) is a petty thief who lives at Vizag and makes his earnings to take care of the two kids. He dreams of having big cars and men following him, he resembles Billa exactly. Krishnamurthy manages to convince Ranga to take up the place of Billa and takes him to Malaysia. Their plan is partly successful but in between, Krishnamurthy gets killed and this lands Ranga in trouble. How does he manage to come out of all that forms the rest of the story.

Performances

Prabhas has come up with a very impressive performance and his act as Ranga was more impressive than Billa. However, he suited the role of a stylish don. Anushka gave every penny’s worth with her bikini act and the glamour show. Namitha competed equally with Anushka and showed her voluptuous sex appeal. Supreeth looked evil enough, Rehman was stylish but he could have been more intense with his performance, Krishnamraju was not upto the mark and perhaps he is a miscast to this role. Ali came and went without any comedy, Jayasudha was barely visible. Hansika was sweet in the song.

Technical aspects

The film was made more relying on the presentation than the narrative aspect. Dialogues were dull, the script was written without much masala, screenplay could not elevate the movie. Music was just average and there were only two songs that were worth taking home, cinematography was good in parts. Editing was sharp but sometimes it kind of created too short a sequence taking away the feel. Art department came with good settings while the stunt scenes were also impressive, costumes were perfect to each character.

Director’s portrayal

Meher Ramesh has come up with a storyline that is familiar but then it appeared that he was unable to handle the slick approach. Though his earlier venture ‘Kantri’ had those impact points, it was missing in Billa. The film could have taken off on a high voltage opening and instead it came across as a rather disconnected and stale start and Ramesh has to take the responsibility for it. However, few instances showed his brilliance but then he could have been a lot better given the budget and the infrastructure he was given. It came across as a rather amateurish presence in few places.

Critic’s view

The film could have been a super hit if only the script was handled very well and the dialogues were written with more passion and fire. The first fifteen minutes of the movie was hardly anything and it takes a while for the actual momentum to pick up. To be honest, the real story begins only in the second half and the plot gets life after the arrival of Ranga. Even the bikini act and action sequence of Anushka was not that sensuous but her beautiful presence kind of made up for it. The film was made with a high budget and the money could have been used in a very efficient manner to create a proper blockbuster. But that is not happening with ‘Billa’ and it will be an above average visual treat at the box office.

Verdict

It is stylish, visually rich. Not much in content and depth though.

Cast: Prabhas, Anushka, Namitha, Rehman, Krishnamraju, Supreeth, Kelly
Dorjee, Hansika Motwani, Subbaraju, Ali, Jayasudha etc

CREDITS:
Banner: Gopikrishna Movies pvt ltd
Music: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: Soundararajan
Director: Meher Ramesh
Producer: Narendra, Prabodh

Release date: 03/04/2009

Jeevai Review - {Billa}

Rating: 3/5
Genre: Action
Banner: Gopi Krishna Banner
Movies Cast: Prabhas, Krishnam Raju, Anushka, Namitha, Hansika Motwani, Jayasudha, Supreet, Kelly Dorji, Rehman & Ali Music: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: Soundar Rajan
Stunts: Stun Siva
Story: Javed Akhtar
Screenplay - dialogues - direction: Meher Ramesh
Producer: D Narendra & Prabodh
Release date: 3 April 2009

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Billa Movie Review
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Story

Billa (Prabhas) is a don operating from Malaysia. Krishna Murthy (Krishnam Raju) is a cop who is on the trail of Billa. Billa dies in an encounter with cops. Krishna Murthy keeps it as a secret and brings Billa’s lookalike Ranga – a petty thief onto the scene. The rest of the story is all about how Ranga completes the job for Krishna Murthy.

Artists Performance

Prabhas: Prabhas is extremely stylish with well toned and highly muscular body in the role of the don. The blazers suited him really well. His second role as Ranga entertains us with the dialogue delivery he popularized with Bujjigadu film. His steps in Bommari Bommali song are good.

Others: Anushka is good with slim figure and she is extremely glamorous in revealing dresses. She has no significant role to play in this film. Hansika Motwani did a special role and she is good. Namitha entered in to Telugu film industry again with Billa. She is sexy and dubbed her own voice in Telugu. Krishnam Raju is adequate as the cop. Supreet is stylish. Kelly Dorji’s role is an extension of the one he donned in Nagarjuna’s Don. Rehman is competent in a vital role. Ali did a short, yet significant role. Jayasudha did a small, but nice role.

Technical departments

Story - screenplay - direction: Billa’s story is based on Don film penned by Javed Akhtar. Screenplay of the film is adequate in the first half and is little disappointing in the second half. Director concentrated more on the styling in the first half. Direction of the film is adequate. Though it is a 30 year old story, the director should have done modifications to it to make it more logical and convincing. The twists towards climax lack logic. The kids thread should have been extended into second half. It has tremendous potential with nice sentimental value. The following scenes are good in the film –

1. The scene of Billa escaping by using Hansika.
2. The chase on Malaysian roads. It’s fun to see Malaysian police cars flying around instead of usual Sumo cars in a Telugu cinema.
3. The introduction and training episodes of Ranga character are hilarious.

Other departments: Music and background score by Mani Sharma is average. Bommali song is the best in picturization aspect. Cinematography by Soundar Rajan is pretty good. Dialogues are adequate. The serious dialogues written for Prabhas in the first half (Can Can and other English dialogues) are not effective enough. Fights done by Stun Siva are efficient and stylish (especially superb chase sequence). Editing is alright. Production values by Gopi Krishna Movies are excellent. The entire movie is mounted on a grand scale.

Analysis: First half of the film is alright. Second half is little disappointing and is prolonged. The plus points of the film are Prabhas’s makeover and styling as Billa and good production values. On the flip side, the second half should have been effectively handled. Prabhas has terrific comedy timing in him (Bujjigadu film and pre-interval episode in Billa). Hope somebody would make the best use of it the future. We have to wait and see how audiences take Billa.

Chitchat with Meher Ramesh About Billa Movie

Director Meher Ramesh who earlier directed Kantri is all excited about his next venture Billa. After mulling over the suitable cast for many days he finally zeroed in on Prabhas for the film and Anushka in the lead role. The theatrical trailer released created huge expectations for Billa. In an interview, he unravels the story behind the making of Billa and ensures that this film would be the stylish Telugu film ever.
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The genesis of Billa
It was during the shooting of Vayassunami song for Kantri in Ramoji Film City, NTR asked me if I were interested watching Tamil Billa film. He got a print mailed from Chennai. He wanted to watch it because it was done by legend NTR as ‘Yugandhar’. He said that if we like the movie, we might remake in Telugu immediately after Kantri film. I loved the film, but opined that NTR might not suit the role at this stage of his career and told him frankly about it.

I still had the idea of remaking Billa. The same producer came up with the proposal of remaking it with Ravi Teja as hero. I watched the movie again with Ravi Teja in my mind. I modified certain scenes to suit him. Then I opined that a high budget film might not work out with Ravi Teja as hero. The producer will end up suffering for the kind of budget we ask for. Hence we collectively decided not to make the movie.

I got an offer to work with Prabhas. I told him another story and he didn’t look excited enough. I casually asked him if he saw Billa. I told him that it has all elements of commercial hits like Rowdy Alludu and Donga Mogudu which Chiranjeevi has done in his peak time of the career. He loved it and I told him the script changes. We need a comfortable producer who can spend lot of money at the same time who doesn’t pressurize us. Prabhas suggested that we should make it on his home banner Gopi Krishna Movies. I told him another script which is equally exciting. It would cost only 60% of what Billa would have cost. But Prabhas wanted to make Billa. We narrated it to Krishnam Raju and he loved it. I wanted Krishnam Raju to do the role of police commissioner. I wanted to capture the first combination of Prabhas and Krishnam Raju.

I did some changes in screenplay. I made Billa an out and out commercial entertainer. I visualized every shot before making the movie. We went to Malaysia and selected the required locations a month in advance.

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Casting
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Anushka: I knew Sweety (Anushka) even before she entered movies. It was me who introduced her to Puri Jagan for Super film. I told her that she is going to be paired up with Prabhas and I need her in best shape. She worked hard and when I met her after two months, she slimmed down a lot.

Hansika Motwani: I told Hansika that a slot done by Kareena Kapoor in Hindi Don is available and asked her if she is interested in doing that role. She trusted me and told yes immediately.

Namitha: I didn’t have Namitha in my mind for that character. I tried many new faces. Namitha asked me that she want to re-enter Telugu films with Billa film. She slimmed down for this role and we had a photo shoot before signing her.

Supreet: Supreet is highly impressive as Katraju in Chatrapati. He matched the masculinity of Prabhas in that film. I cast him as an associate of Billa in this film. He looks cool in black suits.

Rehman: Tamil actor Rehman did an important role as an associate of Krishnam Raju in this film. I noticed that he is also a perfectionist like Prakash Raj. He learnt each and every word of his dialogue before hand. He uttered all Telugu dialogues with no prompting.

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Choppers used in shooting action sequences
Most of the Indian and Bollywood films shot in Malaysia has William Wong as action director. But I have good tuning with Stun Siva. I employed Stun Siva as fight master for Billa and we took the help of William Wong whenever we required. We shot a chase that never came in Indian screen before. It will be like watching terrific chases in Bond flicks. We used choppers for 15 days. When we asked for 2 helicopters, producer granted us four. This credit should go to producer D Narendra and production designer Krishna. We stayed in Malaysia for 3 months at a stretch to shoot this movie.

Soundar Rajan shot Billa on Super 35 camera
I wanted to have either Sameer Reddy or Chota K Naidu for cinematography. But dates of both of them were not available. Not many people know about Soundar Rajan who worked as an associate to KV Anand in the past. He also worked for four forgettable Tamil flicks. He got busy in doing commercial ads. We wanted to shoot Billa with Super 35 camera. When I met him for the first time, we shared good vibes. We spoke for 5 hours about moviemaking. I signed him without looking at his work because I realized that he is extremely talented through our discussion. He is a friend of Vishnu Vardhan who directed Tamil Billa. We met Vishnu Vardhan and I informed him the changes I made in Billa script. He was impressed with it. Soundar is an excellent technician with amazing sense of using lenses. He is one of the reasons why Billa is made in less time with more quality.

Marthand K Venkatesh is a frank man
I used to send rushes from Malaysia for simultaneous editing to Marthand K Venkatesh. He said that Billa film has Hollywood styling to it. I like Marthand K Venkatesh because he is extremely frank and tells everything on your face. It’s always good to have such person in your team. He gives perfect logic whenever he finds fault in our work.

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Highlights of Billa
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1. Introduction of hero: Prabhas will be introduced with a magnificent bow and arrow episode. It is shot in typical Bond style.

2. Chase: There is one chase in this film which I think is the best among the chases done on Indian screen.

3. Without dupe: Prabhas done an extremely risky shot without dupe on a bridge in Lankavi island.

4. Climax: Climax of the film is shot in Malaysian international airport amidst 30 flights on the runway and tarmac.

5. Bommali song: This song comes as the last song in the movie. It is the most vibrant duet shot in six sets

6. Anushka: Anushka is going to be a huge asset to the movie.

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Prabhas will be a super hero of Telugu cinema after Billa
Prabhas had a personal trainer and he followed rigorous diet and fitness regime throughout seven months by staying away from temptations. Prabhas will be the super hero of Telugu cinema after Billa’s release. This film is sold for highest prices among Prabhas’s movies.

2:30 hrs movie
Billa is shot in 104 working days. We shot this film in unpredictable weather of Malaysia. The total runtime of the final cut is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Shankar is my role model
Shankar is my role model and I used to watch all his films for at least 10 times. He mounts movie on a huge canvas without missing any of the commercial elements. He bundles nice social message in his films without appearing preachy.

Future projects
I have a commitment each with Aswini Dutt, Nallamalupu Bujji and Danayya. I will take a decision after the release of Billa. All these films will be done with big heroes.

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Prabhas arriving on April 3 as Billa

Starring Prabhas stylishly, Anushka in an equally proportionate glamorous stint and Namitha as another lead lady, Gopi Krishna Movies returned into production with ‘Billa’. It is a produce of Narendra and Prabhod in the direction of Meher Ramesh. The movie is all set to hit the theatres on April 3.

The news was given at a press meet on Monday. Speaking on this occasion senior star and head of Gopi Krishna Movies, Krishnam Raju, who appears in a pivotal role in this flick, said “We are into a new beginning with ‘Billa’. The film reflects the making values of our banner. We have maintained high standards relating to script and technical quality. Further, this will be a memorable film for me because I have shared screen space with Prabhas. He astonished me with his performance, especially in some of the action sequences. Director’s work on screenplay will sure attract the viewers.”

Director Meher Ramesh appreciated the co-operation he received from the makers. He pointed out that action sequences filmed in Malaysia will be a special attraction to this film.

Earlier made as Don (Amithab Bachchan) in Hindi, Billa in Tamil, Yugandhar (NTR Sr) in Telugu and again repeatedly made as Don (SRK) in Hindi, Billa (Ajith) in Tamil, it is now being made for a sixth time as ‘Billa’ in Telugu. Even then this stylish saga of a mafia don on celluloid has never missed to fascinate viewers.

Coming with many specials and unprecedented style ‘Billa’ is expected to give a jolt to Prabhas’s career. It is expected to give a fresh glamorous image to Anushka, who has carved a niche with ‘Arundhathi’.

Hansika, Jayasudha, Ali, Rehman, Kelly Dorge are the main supporting cast.

Source:- www.indiaglitz.com

Billa on 3 April

3nd April is the target release date of Prabhas’s stylish flick Billa. The trailer of Billa launched on the music launch function created lots of hype and expectations on this project. Anushka, Namitha and Hansika Motwani are playing female leads. Most of the film is shot in Malaysia with a sky-rocketing budget. Meher Ramesh (Kantri fame) directed this film. Soundar Rajan shot this film using super35 camera. Mani Sharma composed music is in stores today and is selling like hot cake.

Fresh publicity material for Billa

Starring Prabhas stylishly, Anushka and Namitha as the lead ladies ‘Billa’ is set for release this April. Directed by Meher Ramesh on Gopi Krishna Movies producers Narendra and Prabhod are bringing out the film.Seasoned star Krishnam Raju, appears in a pivotal role as police commissioner in this film. In the wake of general elections in state and the Election Code in affect, the publicity material of ‘Billa’ displaying pictures of Krishnam Raju had to be stalled. This occurred followed by Krishnam Raju’s admission into PRP.In view of the nearing release date the makers have now planned to publish fresh publicity material for ‘Billa’.

Billa music by Lahari

Lahari audio that ruled Telugu film music industry in the past is trying to foray back in Telugu film music now. Lahari has bought the music rights of Prabhas’s stylish flick Billa for a fancy amount. Music of Billa will be available on the racks by 18 March. Anushka and Namitha play female leads. Hansika Motwani did an item song. Prabhas has built an 8-pack body for this film. Meher Ramesh directed it.