Bill on Billa  

A still from Billa (1980)

Director Vishnuvardhan of Shershaah (2021) fame has stirred a hornet’s nest by claiming that the original superhit film Billa (1980), featuring Rajinikanth, didn’t do all that well when it was released. This prompted a sharp response from Rajinikanth’s publicist, Riaz Ahmed, who pointed out that the film was a silver jubilee hit. Interestingly, Vishnuvardhan’s film Billa (2007), featuring Ajith, was a remake of the 1980 film. During an interview, Vishnuvardhan, who was promoting his next film Nesippaya, said, “Do you know the truth? Billa did not actually run all that well. Then I had to see what I actually liked in the film. That was when I realised that they had taken a dark character and made the film. That is a great idea.” Now, Rajinikanth’s publicist has taken to his X timeline to set the record straight. Tagging Vishnuvardhan, he wrote, “Dear sir, I would like to politely bring to your attention that the 1980 release Billa was a silver jubilee hit. You may kindly confirm this with the producer of the original version, Mr Suresh Balaji. I humbly request you to ensure accuracy in your statements to avoid sharing incorrect information.”