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on 2007/12/11 23:05:55
Vishnu Vardhan , one time camera assistant to Santosh Sivan, has made an impact in Tamil cinema with just two films- Arindhum Ariyamalum and Pattiyal, both stylishly made movies that were commercially successful. Now Vishnu's third film Billa is ready with a big star like Ajit and is said to be a very stylish and chic movie. If the film clicks, Vishnu will become a hot shot director and a major brand in Kollywood. He took time of his busy schedule and release tensions, to speak exclusively to sify.com about Billa. Excerpts
Why did you decide to remake of Billa?
First and foremost, when you decide to remake a classic, it has to excite you and it should have some scope for you to try out something different. Billa, fitted the bill. I was just 3 years old when, the original Rajnikanth classic released. And now my Billa will be compared to the other three versions- Amitabh Bachchan's Don , Rajnikanth's Billa and Sharukh Khan's Don It was a challenging assignment for me. There are bound to be a lot of comparisons but I am confident that this film will be entirely different. And when Rajni sir sees the film and is satisfied then I would be happy that my job is done.
What made you to cast Ajit as Billa?
When I wrote the script, I had no other actor in mind other than Ajit sir. Tell me which hero in Tamil is as handsome, suave, with the right attitude and screen presence like him? He is a cool dude and I had worked with him during the making of Asoka when I was an assistant to Santhosh Sivan and we had promised then to do a film together.
But they say that a classic should not be remade?
I agree on this old saying. But let me tell you that the so called classics were never made but they fell into place. And if you dare to do so, then the casting should be perfect and care should be taken to retain the soul of the original. I think that in the case of my Billa remake, half my battle was won after Ajit sir said- “I will do Billa”. He had the guts to do a remake done by Rajni sir who after 27 years is still the superstar of Tamil cinema! Please note when SRK did the Don remake Amitji was no longer playing the traditional hero role, he had switched to character roles.
How was it working with Ajit?
He is a perfect gentleman who completely trusts his director. During the entire shoot he has never asked me even for one change. And this made my responsibility much high. It was like a big party during the shoot and every morning he used to walk in to the sets with a smile which charges all of us. He even cooked for us in Malaysia and we all had a great time making Billa. He took risks during stunt scenes by jumping from a 200 feet high bridge. Ajit sir is the right choice to play Billa today, because he has the right attitude and terrific screen presence. He is completely a director’s actor.
Tell us about your Billa?
My Billa is an evil handsome devil who does not smoke or drink but only kills (laughs). He is cool, does not speak much and has an aura around him. He is stylish and suave and wears only black designer suits and accessories. He is playing a mind game with other characters who is a pawn in his hand.
What about the other character?
He is Velu, who is a happy-go-lucky, very talkative and witty. He drinks, smokes and has all bad habits. So there is a total contrast in both the characters and Ajit sir has done so much justice to both the characters.
What about your two glam heroines?
Nayanthara and Namitha rocks! Nayanthara does the role of Sasha, done by Sripriya in the original and she is bold, daring and stunning. Nayan is very hardworking and she has gone for a complete makeover in Billa. In fact, I owe sify.com for casting Nayanthara as my heroine after seeing her glamourous stills on your site.
Namitha plays CJ who will give her life for Billa. And there is one more girl Rose Dawn who does the item number.
So is Billa going to be the most stylish film in Tamil cinema?
Billa is the outcome of team work-Nirav Shah’s camera work, Anu’s costumes, Sreekar Prasad’s crisp editing and above all Yuvan’s songs and re-recording, William Ong’s stunt choreography everything fell into place. (Smiles) Now I leave the rest to the audiences worldwide.
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