Billa II is an Indian Tamil gangster-thriller film directed by Chakri Toleti. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Billa and would focus on how David, an ordinary man from the coastal regions of South Tamil Nadu, becomes Billa, a dreaded underworld don, with Ajith Kumar reprising the role of the titular character. Supporting roles are essayed by Parvathy Omanakuttan, Bruna Abdullah, Vidyut Jamwal and Sudhanshu Pandey, all of whom make their debut in Tamil cinema. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, while R. D. Rajasekhar handled the cinematography and Suresh Urs worked as the editor. Billa II was filmed with an RED EPIC Camera, becoming the first Indian production to be shot with it.
The film, produced by Wide Angle Creations in association with the Hinduja Group company IN Entertainment, was officially announced in November 2010, with Vishnuvardhan as the director. Due to conflicting dates, he was replaced by Chakri Toleti, while a new script was penned by a team involving Toleti and Eric Felberg. Filming, which commenced in July 2011 and was completed by December 2011, took place primarily at Goa, Hyderabad and Georgia. Billa II was released worldwide on 13 July 2012; a dubbed Telugu version titled David Billa was also released simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh. Released with positive reviews.
Casting
From the previous film, the producers made it clear that apart from Ajith Kumar, Prabhu and Rahman, most of the other characters would not be retained. The female lead role was expected to be handed to Anushka Shetty, but despite media speculation she was not signed on. The female lead role was handed to debutant Huma Qureshi, a Mumbai-based theatre actor who had previously been featured in commercials, with Toleti finalising Huma after a nationwide search for an actress. However, she was removed from the project by September 2011, owing to changes in the script, and became replaced by Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan later that month, who the director had spotted and offered the role of Jasmine at a fashion show.Parvathy described her character as a "simple girl who transforms into a modern person" and that Billa looks up to, adding that she was had more scenes in the "emotional part" of the film.Bollywood actress and model Bruna Abdullah was selected to portray another significant character, which she went on term as "super powerful, very strong and sexy". Besides Abdullah, another Brazilian model Gabriela Bertante was recruited to perform a dance number alongside one more model. In June 2012, reports confirmed that model Nicole Amy Madell would be doing another item number.
Television actor Krishna Kumar, who made appearances in Kaavalan and Deiva Thirumagal, was signed on to play a "dirty cop". In June 2011, Sudhanshu Pandey, a former model who has appeared in several Hindi films, was given the role of a "greying ganglord", who becomes the mentor to the yound David, whilst Malayalam character actor Manoj K. Jayan was roped in for a "key role". Actress Vimala Raman was signed on to make a special appearance in the film, however she opted out in July 2011 citing date problems. Meenakshi Dixit was later finalised for that role and shot her scenes in July 2011 during the first schedule. Vidyut Jamwal, who played negative roles in the Hindi film Force (2011) and the Telugu film Oosaravelli (2011), was selected to play the villain, also making his debut in Tamil cinema. In December 2011 sources revealed that Sricharan, who starred in Payanam, was shooting for a supporting role in the film. Reports in February 2012 suggested that the team was trying to sign Nayantara, who played the female lead in Billa, for a cameo role; the actress refuted the rumors. Furthermore, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja on Toleti's insistence agreed to make a brief appearance in one of the songs. Sources also reported that director Seeman would be acting in the film.
Filming
T In the third week of November, a unit of thirty-six members left for Georgia in Eastern Europe for the final 20 day schedule of the film. In Georgia, the crew filmed at the country's capital, Tbilisi, Borjomi and Rustavi. Billa II became the first Indian film to be shot at the Likani Palace, which functions as a summer residence of the President of Georgia. Midway through the filming, heavy snowfall began. The crew, however, carried on shooting and later reshot the complete sequence with the snowy background to maintain the continuity. The climax portions were also filmed there against a snowy backdrop, for which aerial shots were done from a helicopter. Approximately half a million dollars were spent for the whole schedule in Georgia, which was finished by mid-December. In February 2012, the remaining scenes, including the film's title song, were canned at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad,[62] despite the ongoing strike in the film industry. An item number featuring Brazilian model Gabriela Bertante was shot in a studio in Goa Although producer Kheterpal had named Bangkok, Thailand as a potential location for filming, shooting was not held there. The entire filming was completed over a period of 90 days.
Three stunt choreographers were involved in the making of Billa II. The stunt sequences in Georgia were partly choreographed by an award-winning German-based company led by stuntman Stefan Richter, while the climax action scenes were done by Kecha Khamphakdee's Jaika Stunt team. K. Rajasekhar choreographed the fight sequences in Hyderabad and Goa. Madhu Sudhanan, a VFX creative director, said that VFX had been used in action sequences, in "set extensions" and in sequences involving 3D
Marketing
A first teaser poster displaying the new logo design was published in Diwali 2011, while the first posters depicting Ajith Kumar's look were released in January 2012 during the Pongal festival. From late February onwards, further posters featuring Ajith were unveiled, with one poster in late March portraying a young Ajith carrying a kerosene can on a boat that led to speculations over the character's origin. On 13 April 2012, a one minute teaser trailer was uploaded to YouTube. The teaser garnered over 500,000 views within the first three days of its release, setting a new record for Tamil films.
As part of the marketing, the makers planned to release a Billa 2 calendar featuring the two lead actresses, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdulla; the stills were shot exclusively for the calendar in Goa. An event to launch the official theatrical trailer was planned to be held on 2 July at the Anna Centenary Library auditorium in Kotturpuram, Chennai. The entire cast and crew along with Russian dancers were expected to attend the function, which was to be telecast on television later. The event was cancelled at short notice. The trailer was however uploaded to YouTube the same day, gaining record views. Moreover, a promotional video featuring Ajith with composer Yuvan Shankar Raja was shot as well, but was not released either.
Release
The overseas distribution rights were sold for INR 5.3 crores ($ 1 million) to the US-based company GK Media, the highest ever for a Ajith film. In March 2012, the local media corporation Sun TV Network bought the satellite rights for a record price, with sources estimating the price at INR6.25 crore (US$1.25 million). Three prominent production houses were reportedly trying to purchase the domestical theatrical rights then. Venu Ravichandran's Aascar Films eventually acquired the theatrical distribution rights for Tamil Nadu for approximately INR 26 crores. All the distribution rights of the film, except the Kerala and Hindi dubbing rights had been sold at a record price of more than INR 40 crores, making Billa II one of the top pre-release revenue generating films of all time in the Tamil film industry. In early May 2012, the Kerala release rights were finally sold to Sagara Entertainment and Money Tree Entertainment for INR 1.5 crores, likewise a new record for an Ajith film. Billa II received an adult rating ("A" certificate) from the Central Board of Film Certification. In the UK, the film was issued a 18 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification with an advice that it contained "very strong violence and revenge theme".
