Ajit Kumar’s fans get another chance to see their old favourite Billa in theatres. Arvind Suresh Kumar and Dr Gyan Barathi released the 2007 superhit on May 1 in more than 150 screens across Tamil Nadu. According to media reports, this film was made 17 years ago with a budget of Rs 15 crore.
This film ran in theatres for 75 days and proved to be a superhit. Billa was directed by Vishnuvardhan. This Billa was a remake of Rajinikanth’s 1980 Billa.
Rajinikanth’s film was a remake of 1978 Bollywood blockbuster Don. Contrary to the popular belief that only Hindi film industry copies the South Indian film industry, the South has made remakes of Hindi films since long. The 1957 classic Do Aankhen Bara Haath was remade in Tamil as Pallandu Vazagha in 1975 with then superstar MG Ramchandran.
This highlights how Bollywood and South Indian cinema work together creatively. While Bollywood is known for its big musicals and drama, South Indian movies have their own style with intense action and emotional stories. When Bollywood movies get remade in the South, they become a mix of both styles.
“The Hindi film industry is the largest. The box office collection of Bollywood equals the combined collections of South India’s Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada industries,” says Atul Mohan, senior trade analyst. “Limited South Indian movies have been released at a pan-India level, but if you look at Bollywood movies, most of them are released at a pan-India level.
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