'Billa', fourth remake of Hindi original 'Don', creates history

Hyderabad, April 16 (IANS) Recent Telugu release "Billa" has created history by becoming the fourth consecutive hit remake of the 1978 Hindi original "Don", said director Meher Ramesh.

"No film in the world has proved to be a hit even during its fourth remake. The first three - 'Billa' in Tamil, Hindi ('Don - The Chase Begins') and again in Tamil were hits. While it ('Billa') is a bigger hit for actor Prabhas than his 'Bujjigadu', it has done wonders for its female actors," Ramesh told IANS Thursday.

"('Billa's') Heroine Anushka has consolidated her position, Namitha has created one here by bagging a coveted police officer's role in 'Deshdrohi'," he added.

Namitha's career was nearly over in Telugu films but "Billa" has given her a fresh lease of life.

According to publicists, the Telugu "Billa" is going strong after having collected over Rs.110 million since its release.

"Don" was first remade as "Billa" in 1980 starring Tamil superstar Rajnikant, in 2006, it was recreated by original scriptwriter Javed's son Farhan Akhtar with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead in "Don - The Chase Begins".

Then came second Tamil remake featuring Ajith Kumar as the same anti-hero with its original Tamil title a year later.

Farhan Akhtar is set to make a sequel to his version of "Don" and it is scheduled to go on floors next year, while its original producer Nariman A. Irani's sons are also said to be planning to create the aftermath of its first script penned by Salim-Javed through new authors.

Though Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan was panned by critics in 1978, its slicker remake in 2006 loosely based on the original shot at foreign locales earned it a place in the Berlin Film Festival.