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IN ENTERTAINMENT BACKS BILLA 2 WITH AJITH AND VISHNUVARDHAN
Posted on: 03/Feb/2011 6:38:24 AM
IN Entertainment (India) Limited (INE), part of the Hinduja Group, has tied up with Chennai based Wide Angle Creations led by Suresh Balaje and George Pius to produce BILLA 2. Ajith, carrying on from the blockbuster success of Billa in 2007, will relive the lead role of Billa. The Film, helmed by ace director, Vishnuvardhan, who also directed Billa with Ajith in 2007, will go on the floors in early April 2011 and is being envisaged for a release between December 2011 and February 2012.
Soumik Sen, who heads development at INE, has worked on the screenplay along with Vishnuvardhan and the same is being developed into Tamil dialogue draft presently. Yuvan Shanker Raja (Music Director) and Nirav Shah (Director of Photography), who worked on Billa (2007) are likely to be associated with BILLA 2 as well.
Billa was earlier made into Tamil with Superstar Rajnikanth as the remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer, Don. The Film was remade in 2007 again into Tamil with Ajith playing the role essayed by Rajnikanth. However, unlike the Hindi remake with Shah Rukh Khan, where ending of the Film was changed to keep the lead protagonist alive, Billa maintained the same story as the original film. Billa 2 is therefore not a sequel but is being designed as a Prequel to Billa, wherein the Film will focus on the journey of how David became Billa.
Says Sunir Kheterpal, CEO – IN Entertainment, “INE is looking to develop and produce films with talented Film-makers in Tamil and Telugu and it is an honour to be associated with a brand like Billa, original producers of Billa (which starred Rajnikant) represented by Suresh Balaje, Ajith and Vishnuvardhan in our first Tamil film.”
Commenting on the association, Suresh Balaje says “We are delighted to be working with INE and the Hinduja Group for BILLA 2. It is a nostalgic homecoming for us as we produced the original Billa with Superstar Rajnikant. Billa 2 will go on the floors in early April 2011 as soon as Ajith’s current project ‘Mankatha’ is completed”.
Ajith adds, putting an end to all speculation around the film, “BILLA 2 is my next film and we start filming in early April 2011. Prequel to BILLA is an exciting premise and I am delighted to be working with close friends, Suresh Balaje and Vishnu and am glad that we have a strong company like INE backing this project.”
Confirming that BILLA 2 is indeed his next film to mount in early April 2011, ace director Vishnuvardhan says, “Prequel to Billa is a tremendously powerful idea and we have finalized a screenplay which matches the intensity of the underlying idea. We are working towards putting together the winning team, which worked on the Ajith starrer Billa in 2007 and will leave no stone unturned to make “Billa2” a much bigger film than “Billa”.
