Billa (1980 film)

Billa is a 1980 Indian Tamil crime film produced by Suresh Balaje and directed by R. Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajinikanth, K. Balaji, Thengai Srinivasan, Manorama, Sripriya, Reena Roy and Major Sundarrajan. It is extensively based on the Hindi film Don 1978, with changes made in the script to suit the Tamil audience. The film revolves around Billa Rajinikanth, a feared Mafia don in Madras, who is fatally wounded during an encounter with the police. Wanting to uncover Billas accomplices, the police commissioner Alexander K. Balaji trains a lookalike village bumpkin Rajappa also Rajinikanth to pose as Billa and infiltrate the gang. The rest of the film deals with how Rajappa learns more about Billas gang, and tries to get all of them arrested. Billa was released onJanuary 1980, to commercial success.

A shattered, revengeseeking Priya cuts her hair short, trains in judo and karate,and then enters Billas gang after deceiving them into thinking that she too is on the wrong side of the law. Billa is impressed with her fighting skills and allows her to work for him, without realising her true intentions. Meanwhile, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts at nabbing Billa, the police finally succeed, but Billa dies during the pursuit, botching DSP Alexanders K. Balaji plan to reach the source of all crimethe man Billa reported toby capturing Billa alive. DSP buries Billas body, ensuring that people believe that he is still be alive. As luck would have it, DSP remembers his chance encounter with Rajappa Rajinikanth, a simpleton trying to survive in the hustle and bustle of Chennai in order to support two small foster kids, who is an exact lookalike of Billa. DSP hatches a plan to transform Rajappa into Billa and place him back into the crime nexus, but this time as a police informer.Around the time Rajappa returns to Billas gang as Billa under the guise of amnesia. JJ Thengai Srinivasan, just released from jail, begins his mission of revenge against DSP for his wifes death and his search for his children who had been saved and taken care off by Rajappa. Rajappa manages to replace the red diary with a blank one, and tells his gang that he is going to take revenge on the DSP, but is actually going there to give him the red diary. Priya goes after him, but Rajappa survives the attack and he tries to explain to her that he is not Billa, but Rajappa. She refuses to believe him at first but DSP intervenes and tells her that the man she is trying to kill is indeed Rajappa. ........

Source: Wikipedia